When Anne Kelleve, an Australian educator working at Baker Memorial School in Kottayam, Kerala, introduced cricket as a mandatory activity for her female students in 1913, she was planting seeds whose harvest she could never have envisioned. Over a hundred years later, that seed has blossomed into something extraordinary, where an Indian women's cricket team has vanquished Australia, Kelleve's own homeland, to reach the pinnacle of the sport. The symmetry is poetic, the achievement monumental.
This isn't India's first appearance in a Women's Cricket World Cup final. However, the 2025 edition represents something fundamentally different, a watershed moment where years of struggle, incremental progress, and collective determination converged into a single, glorious narrative. This tournament has transcended mere statistics and outcomes; it has become a testament to transformation where persistent self-questioning evolved into unwavering belief, where raw talent finally translated into match-defining performances and where dreamers shed their aspirational identity to embrace the layer of champions.
Congratulations to the champions for a truly historic and dominant performance
For captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates, the measure of success in a home World Cup extends far beyond the trophy itself. The question isn't merely whether they win, but what legacy they create and what inspiration they ignite in a nation where interest in women's cricket has grown substantially over the past decade yet remains frustratingly episodic. The Women's Premier League has undoubtedly created momentum and birthed new stars, yet the fundamental reality persists that playing cricket in India as a woman remains an ongoing struggle rather than an accepted norm.
India's previous final appearances in 2005 and 2017 ended in heartbreak, with the team returning home as valiant runners-up. But the 2025 contest against South Africa carries a different emotional weight. This time, they're fighting on home soil and they are surrounded by capacity crowds at Navi Mumbai, where thousands of voices unite in thunderous chants of "India! India!" The atmosphere is electric, punctuated by AR Rahman's iconic "Jai Ho" and the eternally rousing "Chak De! India" soundtracks that encapsulate a nation's sporting aspirations. These aren't just songs; they're collective affirmations that send shivers down spectators' spines and steel the resolve of players on the field.
Bombay: Where It All Began
The location of the final holds profound historical significance. While the journey of women's cricket spans the entire subcontinent and encompasses countless stories of adversity and perseverance, organised women's cricket in India found its institutional birth in Bombay. That the culmination of this World Cup occurs in the same city creates a beautiful narrative circle.
Aloo Bamjee, a member of the Cricket Club of India, pioneered the movement by establishing the first women's cricket team, called the Albees, a clever derivative of her own name. Four years following this initiative, the Women's Cricket Association of India was formally constituted in Lucknow, with Mahendra Kumar Sharma serving as its founding secretary. By 1973, the inaugural National championship took place in Lucknow, featuring just three teams: Bombay, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. The resource constraints were so severe that Uttar Pradesh couldn't even field a complete eleven-player squad, necessitating supplementation with players from the visiting teams.
The Era of Sacrifice and Shared Dreams
The tournament was conducted on a college ground and attracted considerable attendance, though curiosity about how women played cricket and what they wore often overshadowed genuine sporting interest. Former India captain and administrator Shantha vividly recalls those pioneering days with a mixture of pride and nostalgia: "That era embodied 'sharing is caring' in its truest sense. Our accommodations ranged from marriage halls to vacant school classrooms, often shared with cockroaches and rats. Most players owned just one set of whites, and the limited supply of bats circulated among team members. Yet complaints were non-existent and we played purely out of love for the game."
This spirit of sacrifice and determination characterised the foundation upon which modern Indian women's cricket stands. In 1978, India both participated in and hosted their debut World Cup, a logistical and financial bet that required extraordinary courage. The tournament featured four teams Australia, England, New Zealand, and India; and marked the country's first foray into One-Day International cricket. Organizers worked tirelessly to secure financial backing, even relying on gate receipts to compensate players.
Honouring the Foundation Builders
Shantha, reflecting on her generation's contribution, expresses no regrets about her playing era despite the hardships. Alongside Diana Edulji, Shubhangi Kulkarni, and Sudha Shah, she was among the trailblazers who laid the groundwork for everything that followed. "People have suggested we should have played in today's era, but I've never felt that way," Shantha explains. "Yes, we might have earned more money, but not everything should be measured in financial terms. I believe those of us from the 1970s were fortunate—we were chosen to establish the foundation. I take immense pride in belonging to the generation that built the infrastructure for women's cricket in this country."
The Turning Point: Integration with BCCI
The merger with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in 2006 represented a pivotal transformation, albeit one initially imposed by the International Cricket Council rather than embraced voluntarily. For the first time, women cricketers received a match fee of Rs 2,500 for One-Day Internationals. The changes extended beyond mere financial compensation: obscure grounds yielded to superior venues, dormitory-style accommodations gave way to hotel rooms, and unreserved train journeys were replaced by reserved air-conditioned trains and flights. Two years after the merger, women cricketers finally gained access to the National Cricket Academy.
This integration provided something invaluable beyond improved facilities; it offered financial security and institutional legitimacy. The merger signalled that women's cricket wasn't merely a charitable afterthought but a legitimate component of Indian cricket's ecosystem.
The Road Ahead
As India stands on the cusp of potential World Cup glory, we must remember that this moment represents more than sporting achievement. It embodies 112 years of evolution from Anne Kelleve's visionary curriculum decision in Kerala to today's packed stadiums in Navi Mumbai. It validates the sacrifices of pioneers like Shantha and her contemporaries who played for love rather than profit. Most importantly, it signals to countless young girls across India that cricket isn't just a men's domain and it's their game too, their dream to chase, their victory to claim.
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