The Indian Women’s Cricket Team’s World Cup win is, without a doubt, a watershed moment in Indian sports. This will not only change the lives of the Indian cricketers involved in this win but also set a precedent for every other female cricketer to emerge in the future. Outside of the manner in which India won, given the situation they were in, it is also simply inspirational that they managed to win.
Die-hard cricket fans will love the way India barely managed to scrape their way into the semi-finals and beat the mighty Australians from there, before going on to beat South Africa in the final and lift the trophy. But what casual fans will remember, and what will be etched in the memory of young girls who watched the game, is the moment when Harmanpreet Kaur and co lifted the trophy and a billion dreams along with it. That is the image that will stay for generations to come, and for countless women to pick up this sport without hesitation.
Much like Kapil Dev holding the 1983 World Cup trophy that inspired millions, including Sachin Tendulkar, to pick up cricket, this moment too will do the same for women. What’s further exciting is that it might do the same for brand-new managers picking up a coaching gig in women’s sports. Let’s learn about this exciting new development in detail.
What Impact Can This Indian Women’s Cricket Team’s World Cup Victory Have?
Up until a few years ago, very few people in India took women’s cricket, let alone women’s sports, seriously. From match fees to perks to endorsements to even basic amenities and benefits, everything was bare minimum. The Women’s Cricket World Cup has been around since 1973, and it was only in 2006 when the Women’s Cricket Association of India merged with the BCCI to make it professional.
Former Indian captain Mithali Raj even recalled getting an amount of INR 1000 per match after returning as runners-up in the 2005 Women’s World Cup. Up until Women’s Cricket came under the BCCI, there was no professional structure to it, and neither was there any match fees for anyone. Since India reached the finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2005, the WCAI decided to offer them each a cash prize of INR 1000. There were no central contracts or any other financial benefits whatsoever.
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To come from there to where these girls are now, having just won the World Cup, is remarkable growth. There is pay parity between the Men’s and Women’s cricket teams, and upon winning the World Cup, they have just been awarded a prize money of INR 51 crores. On top of that, several star players are already getting big endorsement deals from famous brands. If we culminate all of them together, it has literally been a rags-to-riches journey for the Indian Women’s Cricket Team in just two decades.
Therefore, picking up a bat or a ball isn’t just a side hobby for any girl now. It is a major profession that will require a serious undertaking. Cricket can be life-changing for any girl who makes it to the big stage. The start and gradual rise of the WPL (Women’s Premier League) is also a huge factor in boosting every girl’s dream who wants to become a cricketer. The change in finances from thousands to millions in women’s cricketers’ fortunes has done monumental wonders for the women in the country.
While financial stability and riches are one thing, what this Women’s World Cup win has also done is break the social stigma for women. In a country like India, it was predominantly prevalent for women to stay at home and do household chores for the longest time. With changing times, several occupations started to get picked up by women, be it in the acting field or music, or other creative arts, but sports were still majorly out of reach. It is only in recent times that more women started picking up sports more professionally, and it is being widely accepted by people around the nation.
While the Indian Women’s Cricket has been on the rise for quite some time now, fueled tremendously by the 2017 ODI World Cup, where they reached the finals for the second time ever, and further bolstered by the launch of WPL, the World Cup win in 2025 will take it to some other worldly stratospheric heights. Things only look bright on the upside for the women of this country, especially when it comes to picking up sports. It is far brighter when it comes to cricketing prospects.
What Impact Will This World Cup Win Have on Managers and Coaches Around the Nation?
In all these celebrations and jubilations of the Indian Team’s World Cup win, one must not forget the immense contributions of coach Amol Muzumdar. For any Indian cricket lover, Amol Muzumdar is a name that is quintessentially associated with the classic phrase “Close but No Cigar”. While you will hear of many classic ‘tried and failed’ stories from Indian cricket, none sound more convincing of a shot in the Indian team than Amol Muzumdar.
He held the record for most runs scored in Ranji Trophy, India’s premier first-class cricket competition, for the longest time possible. He had beaten the previous record held by Amarjit Kaypee, and his record has since been broken by Wasim Jaffer. Muzumdar has since retired in Ranji Trophy with 9201 runs to his name. And yet, he remains a player who never played for India. Some sources suggest that it was Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli’s 664-run partnership in school cricket that denied Muzumdar his due chance. And since then, he never got his deserved chance again. Tendulkar and Kambli forged that partnership for the Shardashram Vidya Mandir against St. Xavier’s School Fort.
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But the point of sharing the story of Muzumdar’s cricketing journey isn’t out of bounds. It is to showcase that how beautifully his arc of cricketing career culminated. Having never gotten a chance to play cricket for India, Muzumdar can now proudly call himself a World Cup winner, courtesy as a coach.
As the coach of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, Muzumdar made some transformative changes, took some harsh calls, was strict and strong with his measures and policies, and even copped some heat from a lot of people watching the game from outside. But he stuck to his guns, and the results were there for everyone to see. That is the true measure of a great coach or manager.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur even spoke about Muzumdar sharing some stern, but rather important, words with the team after their heartbreaking loss to England in the group stages. True and effective as those words were, India started to turn things around after that loss.
Muzumdar’s story with the Indian Women’s Cricket Team as a coach and how he found his way to victory, is something that will inspire many more professional coaches to take up women’s cricket very seriously. Since there will be more money pouring into women’s cricket from now onwards, there will be better and bigger financial incentives for the coach and other staff members. That is seriously bound to encourage more people to become professional managers of women’s sports.
Therefore, as things start to get more professional and women’s sports get taken seriously by more and more people, it will change the lives of many more female athletes and many more managers. Things can only be better for India from here onwards.
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