The Indian Express | 2 months ago | 28-03-2023 | 11:45 am
One more glass ceiling has been shattered. Another summit has been scaled. The women have done it. Their feat in the inaugural version of the Women’s Premier League has reaffirmed my faith, as that of millions in the country, that our women have it in them to chart their own course in sports history on the world stage. So whether it is the world boxing championship or competing in the most glamorous and professional cricketing extravaganza in the world, they are second to none.I distinctly recall the Women’s T20 exhibition matches played at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur in May 2019, when the BCCI, under the stewardship of the Committee of Administrators, fielded three teams. The final, played to a packed stadium, between teams led by Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur, had the crowd on its toes. The match was decided on the last ball. The women had announced their entry on the big stage. Further matches conducted by the BCCI — even in the UAE — had cricketing enthusiasts rooting for more. The BCCI has provided the cricketers with a well-deserved opportunity to showcase their talent, professionalism and big-match temperament.The final of the inaugural WPL, played to a capacity crowd in the Brabourne stadium, showcased their professionalism yet again. The five-team WPL, which had drawn great interest among franchises, and during player auctions, has etched its place in the cricketing history of India. Mumbai Indians established their supremacy against the Delhi Capitals in a match which had all the thrills of an IPL men’s game. The athleticism on the field, tactics of a batting or fielding side and that dominating feature of any competition at the world stage, nerves, were on full display. A low-scoring match in which the side batting second was hoping to best the total set for them to score a win, nearly became a non-achievable task. The match saw all the ups and downs of a T20 game, with the numbers eight and 11 batters swinging the willow with gay abandon to score sixes and fours. Shikha Yadav, who finds her place in the team as a fast bowler, slammed one six and three boundaries in an over.Radha Yadav, another specialist bowler, confidently lifted the last two balls of the innings, over the ropes. This was no rookie team playing its first WPL final. It was the effort of seasoned cricketers who have honed their skills on the international stage and hence, had earned their right to have a tournament designed for them.Soon, it was the turn of the Mumbai team. They were chasing a total which appeared easy. But there were twists and turns of fate as the innings unfolded. At 23 for two, they found themselves in trouble. It was then for the champions to show their class when Harmanpreet Kaur and Katherine Sciver-Brunt, unfazed by the tense moments, went about chasing the winning score. The thrill did not cease: With 36 to get off 24 balls, Kaur was run out. This had the cricket-loving crowd on its toes. The Mumbai team romped home with three balls to spare. What a game. The crowd in the stadium and those watching on TV around the globe were treated to a riveting final in which the cricketers demonstrated their class. Whether it was hitting boundaries, or diving for catches or the long run-up to deliver quick in-swingers, the cricketers demonstrated their skill.This WPL was not merely a cricket tournament. It exemplified the capability, determination and focus of the country’s young women who do not baulk at any adversity, and against all odds and challenges, steer a career for themselves. It is a story that will find its way into every household — in the aspiration of every woman. And hopefully, in the thought process of every parent their daughter, as precious and capable as their son, has claimed her rightful place. The mental strength and the gruelling regimen demonstrated by these cricketers will inspire generations to come. Whether it was the determination of a mother of two to revive her career (Sneha Deepthi) or cricketers as young as just 15 years (Shabnam Shakil and Sonam Yadav) earning a million rupees, WPL 2023 provided an opportunity for all. More importantly, it has cemented its place in the international cricketing calendar.For me, and cricket enthusiasts around the world, this was an evening to cherish with a bouquet of cricketing talent which was second to none that I have seen in about six decades of following Indian cricket. It was a scintillating display of women’s power at its best — a force which is destined to make its mark on the world sporting stage.The writer, a former CAG, was head of the Committee of Administrators that the Supreme Court set up to run the BCCI
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