World cup heartbreak

World cup heartbreak

But this Indian women’s cricket team will inspire generations of young girls.

In what turned out to be heartbreak for India, the women’s cricket team was completely outplayed in its maiden T20 World Cup final by a marauding Australian side. There was much expectation from the Indian squad which had reached the final with an unbeaten streak. But skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and the girls failed to raise their game yesterday. Meg Lanning’s Australia got off to a flying start after winning the toss and choosing to bat. Openers Alyssa Healy and Beth Mooney put up a mammoth 115-run partnership that seemed to mentally overwhelm the Indians. Although the Indian girls did pull things back a bit towards the end, Australia put up a formidable 184 in their 20 overs.

Shafali Verma, the teenager who has been sensational throughout the tournament with the bat, was dismissed on the third delivery of the chase. Afterwards the Indian middle order which has looked brittle was thoroughly exposed. The sense one got throughout the chase was that the Indian girls were delaying the inevitable. And Australia’s precise bowling ensured that the Indian batting was wrapped up for a total of just 99 runs.

There were obvious parallels here with the Indian men’s team loss in the final of the 2003 ODI World Cup. Big match performance is something both the men’s and women’s teams have struggled with. But in case of the Men in Blue, they were able to break the psychological barrier and lift the trophy. There’s no reason why the women’s team can’t replicate this. The fearless cricket displayed by Verma in this tournament was certainly welcome – she is a star for the future. Overall the journey of the Women in Blue right up to international women’s day, is bound to inspire future generations of Indian girls.