Boria Majumdar
As we soak in the miracle of Navi Mumbai, and yes, it certainly was one, it is time to take a pause and reflect. A deep dive will tell you that it was by no means the perfect game. The batting was stellar and Jemimah Rodrigues played the innings of her life. Harmanpreet Kaur played a very important knock and so did Richa Ghosh with her power-packed cameo. While we celebrate the batting effort and also the human frailty that Australia showed, we must also acknowledge that India were not close to their best with the ball or in the field.
Take the last 10 overs of Australia’s innings. Just when you thought that with two new batters, Tahlia McGrath and Ash Gardner, India could tighten things, the skipper conceded a boundary off a rank poor misfield. A ball later, another boundary was leaked. To not bowl Renuka Thakur and go with Radha Yadav and Deepti Sharma – bothof whom gave away 70 runs – left everyone puzzled. If you see the skipper not reading the game, it is the coach’s job to send instructions. Amol Muzumdar seemed to do nothing of the sort and Australia finished with 338.
The other key aspect is fielding. Yes, for once, Australia dropped two sitters and missed an easy stumping, but the ground fielding was still quite fantastic. In contrast, India conceded a lot of runs because of misfields and overthrows. That’s one area where India can be much better on Sunday.
India were in a similar situation in 2017. After beating Australia in Derby, they fell short by nine runs in the Lord’s final against England. Harmanpreet, Smriti and Deepti will all remember how tough that was. Kabir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan’s character in Chak De! India, was desperate to turn his silver medal into gold, but that never really happened for him till his girls the trophy. Harmanpreet’s team now know this is their best-ever opportunity.
At home in front of 40,000 fans who will paint the stadium blue, it is a massive chance for India to script history. South Africa are a very good side, for sure, but they aren’t Australia. They are beatable, and if India can get Laura Wolvaardt early, it will be a massive blow for the Proteas. Having said that, India lost to them in the pool stage and at no point should we think that it will be an easy ride. It is a World Cup final and an opportunity to be immortal.
If India win, thousands of young girls will be inspired to take up the sport. Money will start pouring in and the sport will change forever. The quest for equality will gain momentum and the sport will become a viable career option in the country. In all, women’s cricket will have its own 1983 moment with a historic home World Cup win.
However, let’s not jump the gun. Multiple times, we have come close, and multiple times, there has been heartbreak. So, one step at a time. We still have the final to play, and aim for the perfect game. If that happens, it will well and truly be Chak De! India.
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