Breaking Boundaries: How Women's Cricket Team Has Shaped Over The Years In India?

For India, Cricket is nothing short of a religion. The quintessential British sport has cemented its place in every Indian household. Each match is watched with unparalleled excitement by the entire family. Initially the 'Gentlemen's Game', it has started to accommodate several sportswomen who want to bring laurels to their country in the sport.

However, the widening gender gap and stereotypes did not give female cricket lovers a chance to prove themselves on the field. It took several years for their dreams to take flight.

Advent Of Domestic Women's Cricket

Around the world, women started to play cricket earlier than the Indians. In 1934, the first Women's Test match was played between England and Australia. However, in India, it came into being in the 1970s. Mahendra Kumar Sharma laid the foundation as he registered the Women's Cricket Association under the Societies Act in 1973. The news garnered a positive result as several women started to play the game with more enthusiasm.

In the same year, the country's first-ever Women's Inter-State Nationals was held in Pune, where three teams participated- Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. The number increased to eight towards the year when the tournament's second edition was held in Varanasi. By the time the third edition commenced, around 14 teams had taken part. Eventually, all the states came on board. Also, Railways and Air India organised women teams to take part in these tournaments.

Apart from Inter-State contests, more tournaments were organised, such as inter-zonal contests, inter-university, junior and sub-junior tournaments that encouraged young women to show off their cricket prowess and improve themselves by playing each match.

Received International Recognition

In 1975, the women's team played its first international match against Australia. The three-test series was played in Pune, Delhi and Kolkata respectively. Each of them had three different captains for the team in Ujwala Nikam, Sudha Shah and Shreeroopa Bose. A year later, India secured its first Test victory against the West Indies in 1976 in Patna. Around 25,000 people were present to witness history being made.

In 1995, the women played their first One-Day (ODI) International match against New Zealand. Their performance was exemplary that received laurels from all around. Four years later, in 1999, the team toured England for the first time, where they won the ODI series and drew the test series.

Apart from collective contributions, several individual contributions from players like Shanta Rangaswamy, Diana Edulji, Sandhya Agarwal and many others inspired generations of women cricketers even today. Rangaswamy was the first Indian woman to make a century in international cricket, whereas Agarwal made a whopping 190 runs in a Test match in 1986. Their achievements made India proud, because of which these women received the prestigious Arjuna Award.

Also Read: Mithali Raj Scripts History; Becomes Highest Run Scorer In Women's Cricket Across All Formats