When the India women’s cricket team made history by being the first Asian team to win the 50-over Women’s World Cup on 2 November, they won accolades from around Southasia – including from Pakistan, despite the existing tensions between the neighbouring nations.
Given the sour relations between Pakistan and India, the lack of official congratulations from Islamabad was hardly surprising. However, the people of Pakistan celebrated India’s win wholeheartedly. Ecstatic posts on social media underlined how the game is a uniting force for the region.
Cricket has always been a game of emotions, excitement and passion. It also often illustrates geopolitics through the dynamics of teams and their audiences. There was particular appreciation in Pakistan for players like Jemimah Rodrigues who scored 127 against 134 balls during the semi-finals.
The win also made India the first non-Western women’s team to lift the 50-over World Cup.
For young women who have long faced cultural and social barriers in pursuing sports, this win served as a powerful reminder that excellence knows no gender. The situation of gender discrimination in sports in India is similar to that of Pakistan, and indeed the region,
While under-funding, wage gap and lack of professional equipment, may not be as much of a bane, social stigma remains prevalent. Many have to go against the social norms and financial constraints to play the sport.
As Amanjot Kaur, the daughter of a carpenter and contractor from the border town of Mohali – less than 250 km from Lahore – effected a game-changing run out and took a match-winning catch in the final, she was unaware that her grandmother was in the hospital recovering from a heart attack.
There was a particularly poignant moment while the Indian team took the lap of honour around the DY Patil Stadium – Amol Muzumdar, the head coach of the Indian women’s team symbolically handed the trophy to supporters, including the father of Radha Yadav, Omprakash, a small-time milk and vegetable vendor, who also proudly took the lap with the team.
Players from remote villages like Parsa (Renuka Thakur), Yerramala Palle (Sree Charani) and Ghuwara (Kranti Goud) formed the core of the Indian bowling attack. Most readers wouldn’t even be able to find these towns on the map.
Rohtak’s Shafali Verma, Moga’s Harmanpreet Kaur, Sangli’s Smriti Mandhana, Dehradun’s Sneh Rana, Agra’s Deepti Sharma — none of them come from towns that have any significant cricketing footprint, men or women.
Less than two weeks before these ‘Bharat ki betis’ (India’s daughters) from small towns and villages lifted their first-ever World Cup trophy, all of them were under attack – disparaging remarks asking them to return to the kitchen, calling them unworthy of their salaries and so on.
While much of this abuse came from faceless trolls, even some established journalists joined the bandwagon reminding the women athletes of all the privileges bestowed upon them as a favour.
Their only fault? They lost three consecutive close games, even though the same games were evidence that they were at par with the best in the world – Australia, England and South Africa, teams with historical structural and social advantages.
Although they lost, these matches were evidence that they were at par with the best in the world such as Australia, England and South Africa. The attackers ignored historical structural and social advantages of the winning teams.
Is this the story of India alone? Are familiar trends visible in other parts of the world, where women from disadvantaged backgrounds attempt to emerge, facing the same barbs and criticisms and challenges?
If the fears and obstacles are the same, then in this victory, so is the inspiration — to stand up against the odds. The human spirit doesn’t see the boundaries of land and sea. This is a collective victory of Southasian women cricketers — and sportswomen in general.
Female athletes from around the region, often hailing from different, under-privileged backgrounds, face similar taunts, detractions, challenges and threats.
Those who love sports stand together to send out a clear message, that sportsmanship is celebrated by all despite borders.
The grit and determination of female athletes is empowering more young women across Southasia and beyond to envision themselves not just as spectators but as players, leaders, and changemakers in the sporting world.
The Indian women’s cricket team win is a powerful reminder that greatness is born from resilience and unity, inspiring us to face challenges head on.
Sara Arshad is an educationist and writer based in Lahore Pakistan. Aayush Puthran is a cricket journalist based in Bengaluru. He is the author of Unveiling Jazbaa, A History of Pakistan Women’s Cricket, Polaris Publishing, UK; Westland Sport, India; 2022.