–Boria Majumdar
It was the world cup final. The inaugural one. And yet there were no nerves. No fear of failure. The moment Shafali had won the toss there was a decisiveness in opting to bowl first. She had the bowling attack to push England back and attack. She did. Led by Titas Sadhu who bowled the spell of the final, the first 30 minutes of play defined India. It was that much maligned word. Intent. Fearless cricket at its best. The girls wanted the trophy. Much more than England did. And yet they weren’t overcharged. They, as Neeraj Chopra had said to them a day earlier, had kept it simple. The fundamentals were all in place. To win a world cup you need to deal with pressure. Absorb it and not let it get on top of you. India did so beautifully. Frankly once you have the opponents all out for 68, you know there is just one result. Even if you lose a couple of early wickets, someone will take charge.
Sport is always about moments. For the Olympics it was the 1936 Berlin Games that showed the world what the games were capable of. And thereafter it would gradually grow into the hyper nationalistic commercial spectacle that it now is. For the 50 over men’s game it was the 1983 world cup, which has been immortalized on celluloid. The Indian takeover of Lords on 25 June 1983 changed the game commercially and socially and it soon turned into an all encompassing obsession back home. For the women’s game the process started in 2017. When Harmanpreet smashed her career best 171 not out against Australia in the semi-final in England the world watched in awe. We in India were reminded of the talent and ability of the girls and the way the team was feted round the country on their return was an indication of things to come. 8 March 2020 when India played the final of the world T-20 in front of 87,000 fans at the MCG the process was almost complete. Almost because India is still to be world champion. In every other way the game had arrived. The women’s Premier League expected to start in March is conclusive proof the future is seriously bright for the game. Going forward it is only a matter of time for the women’s PL to become a full fledged brand. The BCCI by doing so can create a serious rival for the WBBL and in the process facilitate the quantum leap the sport is poised for.
Can the U19 world cup win make a larger difference to the sport? Can it help build momentum ahead of the WPL auction? Can it inspire the senior team, which is already in South Africa for the World T-20, and push Harmanpreet and Smriti a tad harder in chasing that elusive silverware India has been after at the senior level?
The answer to all these questions is an overwhelming yes. There is talk in the media and the girls are all being written about. The impact that the win can have will stretch far beyond the victory itself. There will be hundreds who will now want to be the next Titas or Shweta and the foundation of the game will be strengthened in the process. The victory is an inspiration for the future. It will help young girls aspire to being the best in the business. Win a world title and make the country proud. It helped galvanize the country and in the process has helped the WPL as well. Each franchise owner will now seek out some of these girls and to have professional contracts at this age will make careers. That’s the larger story. None of these girls will now look back and Archana Devi will never have to struggle again to make ends meet.
While we celebrate the win and justly so, a word of caution is also in order. If we look at the men’s version for example India has won the U-19 world cup multiple times in the last decade and yet none of these successes have thereafter been translated at the senior level. While one or two stars have made the senior team, success at the senior level has remained elusive. For example the Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill team won the U19 world cup without breaking a sweat and now Gill, Shaw and Mavi are playing for the national team. India, however, hasn’t had senior level success in a decade.
The point to make is the win, if anything, is a stepping stone. That’s what it is. But the transition between U-19 and the senior level isn’t going to be easy and the competition is far more intense. India is still a distance away from beating Australia and these girls will not find it easy to replicate this success.
In sum, we can’t lose perspective. Celebrations don’t mean all is won and done. A start has been made and the journey has indeed started. But a lot more will have to be done and achieved before the final destination is arrived at. Shafali for example has been playing at the senior level for three years now and knows what it is like. And it is now on these girls to push harder and get ready for the bigger grind. There will be money. There will be infrastructure and other support. This victory will ensure there is media attention as well. What we need is for these girls to stay hungry. Remain focused and continue with the mission. An Asian Games medal wasn’t enough for Neeraj Chopra. He wasn’t satisfied with a CWG medal either. He wanted the Olympics gold and even then wasn’t satisfied. The quest was to win a world championship medal and break the 90 m mark. The pursuit of excellence is unending and that’s what these young achievers will now have to learn. As they become stars they will have to deal with stardom and the weight of expectations. And yet stay rooted and take their game to the next level. That’s when this world cup win will have achieved its ultimate objective.