Intent, a word much used in sport. And yet a word that has serious relevance. You need to show intent in any form of sport and be competitive.
You have to put up a fight, especially when you are playing at home. You are the Indian national team, not of just any other country. And that’s when and where it starts to hurt. The sport of women’s cricket has been on a consistent decline in the last couple of years. Off the field, we (India) have progressed with the WPL and more. On the field, it is the same old story of below par effort.
Sorry, but this is a sub par effort from the women’s team. A 0-3 series loss to Australia is a clear proof how far back we are. Red ball isn’t the most important format for the women’s game and in white ball formats India is still nowhere in comparison to Australia or England. Sadly, it is time to accept for only then can we redeem. If we keep saying there are plenty of positives then we are like rabbits and closing our eyes to reality. And the reality is stark and alarming as well.
INDW vs AUSW | India loses by a huge margin: Live Disucssion https://t.co/Nh2oIPsflA
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) January 2, 2024
To lose at home like this is alarming. To win the Asian Games gold medal in Hangzhou, China, against poor teams can’t be an index of success. We beat teams like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. And we celebrated a historic gold medal win. If we are satisfied with such wins, then we have set the bar really low.
Today, the Indian women’s cricket team has every facility. More games, yes, but the basics can’t be lacking. You can’t turn up and do the fundamentals wrong day in and day out. Let’s get this sorted please and not say there are plenty of positives. There aren’t. Introspection is the first step to redemption. And the captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, should be the first to put her hand up and introspect. Go back to domestic cricket. She has not done justice. Consistently inconsistent is what defines the team at the moment.
Jemimah Rodrigues did go back to domestic cricket and has been the most consistent. We need to see her example and follow it.
This defeat hurts, really bad. More so, when we want the game to turn a corner and have its own 1983 World Cup win moment. 2024 needs to be better for the women’s, if not the momentum will be lost. And the quicker we accept it the better.
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