Shourjyani Chatterjee
At the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on the November 2, India defeated South Africa by 52 runs to win the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup for the first time. This historic triumph was widely celebrated and regarded as a pivotal moment in Indian women’s cricket history, with many hopeful that it would encourage more girls to take up cricket.
Jhumpa Roy, a senior Bengal cricketer, shared her thoughts about this achievement and the future of women’s cricket. Jhumpa trains at the Ashoknagar Sheba Samiti Cricket Academy and resides in the Ashoknagar-Banipur area. There, she teaches young children, both boys and girls, along with her father, in addition to her own practice.
“The Women’s World Cup victory is very precious for us as this makes the entire nation proud,” Jhumpa said with reference to India’s victory. She thinks that women nationwide will be encouraged to take up the sport seriously after this historic win. She said it would influence parents of young, aspiring female cricketers to adopt a different mindset and alter long-held beliefs – especially the that girls should stay inside and focus on starting a family instead of participating in sports.
Jhumpa also discussed the lack of opportunities in smaller areas, such as her own, for female players. “A separate camp for women does not exist in my area,” she said. “I think it is important and necessary to have separate camps.” As per her experience, when men and women practice together, the coaches typically focus more on the male athletes, with the women not seen as the future of Indian cricket in rural areas.
She is one of only three girls in her camp and this demonstrates clearly how only few women play cricket outside of major cities. Jhumpa stated bluntly, “Girls still lag behind here.” She said that inadequate training facilities, fewer opportunities and a lack of family support were the primary causes. Separate coaching camps for women, in her opinion, would help boost self-esteem and improve their training. She was also adamant that in order to inspire young girls to play, more female coaches and trainers needed to be hired.
When asked about the Women’s Premier League (WPL), Jhumpa responded, “There are five teams in the WPL. We learned from RCB’s victory last year that girls are not only playing; they are winning. Girls are bringing us pride.” Although she thinks the WPL is a fantastic platform for women, she hoped that there should be more than five teams in future, as more aspiring cricketers would get the chance to play and learn.
She said that despite scoring in domestic games, many talented young female athletes have missed out due to lack of opportunities as a result of there being only five teams. An expansion of the league would mean more playing opportunities and more access to top-notch training facilities for talented players.
Her opinions are in line with those of many Indian women cricket players, particularly in smaller cities like Ashoknagar that lack resources, camps and recognition. With base prices for uncapped Indian players starting at ₹10 lakh, the WPL 2025 mini-auction featured 19 spots across five franchises. Several talented players missed out due to the small number of teams.
According to Jhumpa, increasing the number of teams and holding state-level selection camps could help discover hidden talent. Her message is clear: the World Cup win should inspire parents, selectors and institutions to support girls who want to play cricket. The future of women’s cricket in India depends on converting this win into the inclusion of more women at the grassroot level, and giving them more opportunities.
For latest sports updates: Follow RevSportz