Will the fanfare fade?

Just like gymnast Dipa Karmakar and wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who came agonisingly close to winning a medal at Rio Olympics, on Sunday evening pressure got the better of Indian players at the ICC Women’s World Cup final and they missed the Cup by a whisker. But there’s another  common thread that ties them all together. It’s the appreciation pouring in despite the loss. From experts and celebs to fans across the country, everyone hailed the team, even though they ended up as runners up. This is being seen as a milestone for women’s cricket in India. But is the fanfare momentary or will it genuinely change the face of the game?

Commentator Gautam Bhimani feels it’s the beginning of a revolution. “I have been following women’s cricket for many years now. From being mere representatives, they have turned fierce competitors. Earlier women failed to even cross boundaries but that one innings by Harmanpreet Kaur changed all perceptions. If you have a replay of the 1983 World Cup final, West Indies would have won it nine times out of ten. But in this final, India would have defeated England nine times. The result hardly mattered. They defeated some of the best teams in the journey. It was not one individual excelling, the whole team performed.”

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will give every member and the support staff Rs 50 lakh each for their outstanding performance in the World Cup. Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh offered Harmanpreet Kaur the position of DSP in Punjab Police in addition to the cash prize of '5 lakh for the batter. Even Akshay Kumar was at the Lords cheering for the girls. Gautam feels soon TV commercial offers will follow. However, cricket expert Ayaz Memon thinks there is still a lot that needs to be done. “The team achieved something as significant as reaching the finals and it has captured the imagination of the country. There is now a widespread interest in people and that has to be capitalised on by the administration and by the players themselves, so that the enthusiasm for women’s cricket continues to be as high as it is right now. There’s a lot that needs to be done in terms of providing facilities, infrastructure, tournaments, matches, etc.”

On the same page is Sunita Sharma, India’s first woman cricket coach, but she says one must wait and watch to see if the celebrations are momentary. She says, “BCCI and state associations should cash in on the achievement, but will they? Do we have the pool of cricketers who can fill the big shoes of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami? We need concrete plans for the future.”  

Sharma adds, “Cricket should be encouraged at school level. There should be more tournaments for girls. There’s a dire need for women coaches. Girls don’t get proper diet and equipment to pursue the game. That should be taken care of. Never have we seen such interest, footfall or coverage for women’s cricket. But will the administrators and media remain equally enthusiastic after six months? Only time will tell.”  

Ayaz asserts on the importance of encouraging sports at the more grass root level because very few people have access to sports in the country. “I want to link the team’s achievements with that of Sania Mirza, Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu. They are a testimony to the fact that women in India are doing extremely well in sports. But these are the limited number of people who are actually getting access to sports.”  

Ayaz Memon, Cricket Expert

Former cricketer Balwinder Sandhu feels that the performance of women’s cricket team will definitely change the mindset of the country. Highlighting the attendance at the stadiums, viewership on TV and discussion on social media, he says, “I’m sure more number of girls will take up cricket and make their career out of it. Women’s cricket can’t be sidelined anymore. There will now be more development of cricket at the grassroot level. Their coaches are already been trained at National Cricket Academy. Everything will be picking up pace now.”   

Ayaz summarises it by saying that the buck stops with the society more than the associations. “It is not just the tennis authority or the cricket authority that can make this decision. It is the parents, the facilities in school that will and can encourage sports among women. If you keep girls out of playing sports for societal reasons, obviously you will have fewer heroes. This is a challenge for the Indian society that you have to accept women and girl child as equally important in nation building. It is very difficult to become a sporting nation if you keep 50 per cent of the population out of it. It starts at one’s home. Such performances show what Indian women are capable of and therefore they will inspire a lot of girls out there,” he opines.