Near-miss in final

The final of the women's World Cup had twists and turns and thrills aplenty, England beating India by nine runs. The Indian team, having restricted England to 228, was cruising at 191/3, needing just 38 more off 44 balls, and seemed set to grab glory. However, India lost their last seven wickets for just 28 runs and slumped to a heartbreaking loss. The defeat, from a position of strength, broke a million hearts and left the country’s cricket fans crestfallen. However, there are more reasons to be cheerful than to despair — India playing the final of the tournament, at the famous Lord's cricket ground in front of a full house, has raised the profile of women’s cricket to unprecedented heights.  

The last time the team reached the final of the World Cup, in 2005, many “diehard cricket fans” were not even aware of it — many did not even know that India had a strong women's team. It was very different this time, mainly due to the excellent performances by many players. The innings of 171 not out by Harmanpreet Kaur was the most iconic innings of the tournament: It helped India sink a strong Australian team in the semifinals and peaked the interest of the media and fans. It even stirred the Indian cricket board (BCCI), a reluctant patron of women's cricket, into announcing a generous cash reward for the players.

This bunch of youngsters, led by the experienced Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, has the potential to develop into an excellent team. The team needs to be nurtured and supported by BCCI in a robust manner. The interest in women's cricket was never so high — the iron is hot, and BCCI must strike now. BCCI must give up its prejudices, born of patriarchy, and increase the funding to create infrastructure and world-class coaching for women's cricket. The team has done a great job by fighting for the title and raising the profile of the sport. BCCI and the sports authorities must not let this momentum peter out.