Opinion Women’s cricket in India awaits its 1983 moment

For some reason, Australian juggernauts in cricket come to a halt when they run into an Indian team. In a historic chase of 339 — the highest in women’s cricket — India broke the 15-win streak of the Aussie women’s team at ODI World Cups, which included an unbeaten road to the 2022 world title. India had never previously chased down even 200 in a World Cup knockout. But the team went on to etch memories that will last a lifetime for followers, many of whom rejoiced after watching Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur, and later Richa Ghosh and Amanjot Kaur, pull off a major upset. India has reached the World Cup final before, in 2005 and 2017, but the 300-plus chase should silence the team’s detractors.

Australia bat deep, and Alyssa Healy had the luxury of rotating seven frontline bowlers. But the Indian bowlers Renuka Singh, Sree Charani, Deepti Sharma and Kranti Gaud kept the rampaging Aussies to a score of under 350. Still, no Indian cricket team, male or female, has gone past a 300-plus target in a World Cup knockout against the Australians. But skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and Rodrigues, both under intense pressure to deliver, were calm and composed as they staged the run chase, which made believers out of the team’s indifferent and often disappointed followers, accustomed to them never going the distance. Rodrigues and Amanjot Kaur wrapped up the chase.

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Women’s cricket in India awaits its 1983 moment: It was Kapil’s Devils who really got 50-over cricket going in the country. The term “choker” had been thrown at the Indian women’s cricket team several times. The 11 who took the field on Thursday weren’t the best Indian unit — first-choice opener Pratika Rawal was injured. But Harmanpreet Kaur, Rodrigues and their teammates were undaunted. Revenge is never an apt sentiment in sport. But a nation hurting since November 19, 2023 at the defeat of Rohit Sharma and Co. at the hands of the Australians seemed to have found some solace on October 31. South Africa are a formidable opponent in the finals, and the gains from the semifinals could be lost if India once again fall short. Even so, something shifted when India successfully chased Australia’s 338. A mountain of doubt has moved.