Former India coach WV Raman puts it succinctly on what it would mean for Indian cricket if Harmanpreet Kaur and her team win the ICC Women’s World Cup: “Something similar to man’s landing on the moon…” That’s the kind of impact India’s triumph on Sunday could have as they take on South Africa at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai in front of what’s expected to be a massive turnout. In what is the first final in the tournament’s history not to feature either Australia or England, a new champion will be crowned, which will set off a chain of events that would significantly alter the women’s landscape either way. While South Africa’s decades of heartache in ICC events will be healed, it is undeniable that an Indian win would be seismic for the sport.
Former India international Sudha Shah, who played in the 1978 World Cup and has seen the game evolve over decades, likened it to the 1983 triumph for the men’s team under Kapil Dev. “Everybody loves a winning side. And after that performance in the semis, I think everybody’s expectations are so high. I am certain, like how in 1983 when the men won the World Cup, things will start looking up for women’s cricket.”
“I think there’ll be a lot of young girls who will pick up the sport both in India and abroad. It’ll do a lot of good if we win. We’ve been there before twice, but we haven’t really crossed the line. Let’s hope tomorrow in front of the home crowd, it’s goes in our favor. My best wishes to the girls, they should just live in the moment and not do anything differently.”
For India, the run to the final in 2017 was special even though the Lord’s setback stung, having come so close and not crossing the finish line from a position of serious advantage. The haunting defeat against England eight years back came on the back of another stunning win against Australia, but they let the occasion get to them. Harmanpreet put it poignantly. “We know how it feels to lose, but we are really looking forward to seeing how it feels after we win,” she said on Saturday, appearing relaxed ahead of the final and stressing repeatedly that her team needs to enjoy the day.
“Last time when we reached the finals, after coming back, we saw a big change in India,” she elaborated. “Women’s cricket has progressed, and we saw a lot of girls on the ground. So I’m sure that when we win this final, we will see many more changes and cricket will see more improvements not only on the international level but also on the domestic level. We are really looking forward to that moment, where women’s cricket will get more seriousness and more viewership.”
With both teams evenly matched on paper, the critical differentiator could well be how India recover from the emotional upheaval of Thursday. In fact, South Africa would know all about it, having beaten Australia in the T20 World Cup semi-final last year only to falter against New Zealand on their big night. They also know what it is like to play a final at home, having lost to Australia in front of a packed Newlands stadium in Cape Town. It is not lost on captain Laura Wolvaardt, who will lead the side out in red-hot form.
“The first time we were in the final, being at home in front of a home crowd, a sold out Newlands was pretty special. And since then we’ve seen domestic contracts be introduced back at home,” the classy opener said. “Now we have the opportunity to go one step further and I can sort of only imagine what it could do for women’s cricket in the country. Either way, I’m still really proud of the group though. I think we’ve had a really good tournament up until this final and I think we’ve already created quite a lot of noise back at home and been getting a lot of messages from different people who have sort of started watching women’s cricket because of this tournament. So that’s really cool.”
Even as she was dealing with the disappointment of Australia missing out on a place in the final, it wasn’t lost on captain Alyssa Healy that it is special for the women’s game in general to see a first-time winner; that it would do wonders for the game. “To see how well it’s been supported here in India, first and foremost, I think it’s very special for them to be able to have the opportunity to play it in front of home fans in an ODI World Cup final,” Healy said. “I hope it does great things for Indian cricket. Likewise for South Africa as well. I think they’ve been close in the past, so for them to have an opportunity in a final, it’s going to be great to watch. It’s going to hurt a little bit, but hopefully we see it do great things for the global game and more investment in each of these nations moving forward.”
One way or another, Sunday promises to be game-changing. South Africa would love to spoil India’s party, but Harmanpreet Kaur and Co would be hoping this is the day she can go where no Indian women have gone before. To paraphrase Neil Armstrong, one last step for this woman could just be one giant leap for the women’s game.
Stay updated with the latest sports news across Cricket, Football, Chess, and more. Catch all the action with real-time live cricket score updates and in-depth coverage of ongoing matches.
