Shafali Verma has played a World Cup final before. What’s more, it was an experience that’s unlikely ever to be matched even if she plays another 20 years. It’s no exaggeration to say that the T20 World Cup final at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 8, 2020 was the afternoon when women’s cricket came of age. A crowd of 86,174 watched Australia romp to the title. To put that into perspective, that was considerably more than the number (80,462) that watched England beat Pakistan to the men’s crown at the same venue in 2022.
Verma’s time in the spotlight in that final lasted all of three balls. Caught behind off Megan Schutt, the girl who was just 16 years and a month old at the time left the field in tears. In one of the most one-sided losses ever seen in a major final, India’s challenge didn’t even last till the end of the batting Power play. When she takes to the field at the significantly smaller Senwes Park in Potchefstroom, leading India against England in the Under-19 World Cup final, Verma will hope for a very different result.
Let’s be clear, there is no comparison between the two events. One was the biggest game that a women’s cricketer can play. The other is, at best, a stepping stone to the big leagues. But as far as the Indian girls contesting the final are concerned, its importance goes well beyond the playing field. It’s one more important link in a chain of events that has taken Indian women’s cricket from near obscurity to centre stage in less than a decade.
First, the disclaimer. What you do as an Under-19 cricketer matters for very little when you move on to play against the professionals. The highway to cricket’s Hall of Fame has seen many a promising career veer off track and into a ditch. In fact, it’s fair to say that such disappointments are the norm rather than the exception.
If you look at the men’s game, for every Yuvraj Singh, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill, there are dozens of others who hinted at greater things, without ultimately coming close to fulfilling that potential. As far as the big picture is concerned, the pleasant surprises are when teenage prodigies actually go on to establish themselves in the senior side.
Back in 2008, soon after the Kohli-led Under-19 side won the World Cup at the Kinrara Oval in Kuala Lampur, the first Indian Premier League (IPL) auction was held. Many of those Under-19 players were part of the draft, and there was considerable discomfiture in cricket circles about the players being paid 12 lakhs or 20 lakhs for the season, depending on whether they had Ranji Trophy experience or not. ‘Too much, too soon’ was the popular refrain, especially in a country where first-class cricketers had toiled for generations for a fraction of those rewards.
A year later, when the IPL was forced to move to South Africa because of a date clash with the general elections in India, many of these youngsters struggled. By then, Ray Jennings, who had coached South Africa to the Under-19 World Cup final in 2008, was in charge of Royal Challengers Bangalore. Jennings was a hard taskmaster, never short of a word, especially with his younger wards.
For anyone who cared to listen, he would explain how he treated the Under-19s like Kohli and Manish Pandey, who were in the Bangalore squad. “I tell them that no one gives a **** what they did as Under-19s,” he would say. “It’s what you do from here on, and how hard you work, that matters.”
Truer words haven’t been spoken. In a little over a month, several of these girls could be part of the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL), signed up by one of the five franchises that fetched the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) nearly 5000 crores when the bids were opened a few days ago. With the exception of Verma, who already has 74 caps for the senior side, it will be a life-changing experience for those players, rubbing shoulders in the dressing rooms with international stars and legends of the game.
The importance of that cannot be overstated. Would Ravindra Jadeja, for example, have become one of the world’s finest all-rounders without the influence of the late, great Shane Warne, his captain at Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural IPL season? Every chance he got, Warne would talk up the ‘Rockstar’, boosting Jadeja’s confidence to such an extent that he finished off a game with the bat late in the season. When he was subsequently heckled by Indian fans after his struggles at the T20 World Cup in 2009, Warne was one of those staunch in his support.
There are dozens of such stories, of careers transformed by senior players and coaches. Just in South Africa over the past few weeks, the other girls would have gained immeasurably from Verma’s experience of the big stage. Motivational speeches and talks can only take you so far. There simply isn’t a substitute for learning from those who have walked the walk.
On paper, England are the favourites. Led by the brilliant Grace Scrivens, as many as four of the English girls have topped 100 runs for the tournament. For India, only Verma, who has just 34 in her last four innings, and the chart-topping Shweta Sehrawat (292 runs in six innings) have crossed that barrier. The list of Top 10 wicket-takers also features four English girls, with Hannah Baker leading the way. For India, only Parshavi Chopra and Mannat Kashyap are on the list.
And while India can call on Verma’s experience, England’s Scrivens, Baker and Sophia Smale have all been part of The Hundred. England have yet to lose in the competition, while India had their blip in the Super Six loss to Australia. On Sunday, the girls will hope to tap into the feel-good mood around Indian women’s cricket right now.
Victory would be cause for much celebration. But even if they lose, it’s not the end of anything. For these girls, this is very much a rite of passage. The WPL and far bigger challenges await. Some may not make it that far, and this afternoon will be the pinnacle of their careers. For others, it could be the first step in an incredible journey. Just as it was for Yuvraj and Kohli all those years ago.