Opinion: Despite gender bias, India's women cricketers make the nation proud

Sometimes a movie comes so close to reality. Not many will disagree that Shahrukh Khan’s Chak De India, released in 2007, has been one of the most inspiring sports movies ever. It was a saga about a bunch of girls from the hinterland, each one of whom came with her own set of problems but they came together and became the world beater.

So, when Indian women cricketers were marching ahead last year in the ICC World Cup, it was a Chak De India moment for the country. Unfortunately, they lost nerves in the final and lost out from a very comfortable situation, but a clear statement was made by them.

The way they routed Australia in the semi-final was a delight to watch. Harmanpreet’s knock of 171 was an epic performance, once in a lifetime sort of.

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The World Cup 2017 catapulted the Indian team to a different level altogether. India produced great women cricketers over the past few years and they came to the fore. Take the case of captain Mithali Raj, who is one among finest women batting legends ever, or say Jhulan Goswami who is regarded as one of the fastest bowlers the game has produced and she is the highest wicket-taker in ODI.

India’s prowess was evident when the side easily defeated South Africa yesterday in the first ODI of three ODI series in South Africa. So, it was a double bonanza for Indians. On 4th February, Indian men humbled South Africa and, next day, it was the turn of Indian women to repeat the act.

It is so gratifying to see that how Indian sportswomen have taken the centre stage over the past decade, coincidently after Chak De India was released. It was first Sania Mirza in Tennis, Saina Nehwal in Badminton and Mary Kom in Boxing. Then it was Phogat sisters, who sizzled in the wrestling arena. This, however, reached its peak in 2016-17. In 2016, PV Sindhu’s silver medal at the Rio Olympic in Badminton has been, unarguably, one of finest moments ever in Indian sports history. Another medal was won by Sakshi Malik in wrestling. It was a defining moment for the country. India has been riddled with gender biases against women since ages. However, it was women who won all the medals at the Olympic for the country in 2016.

Coming back to the ODI yesterday. Indian ladies won with immaculate ease and with a margin of 88 runs. Make no mistake. South Africa is a strong side and the margin of 88 runs is huge. They defeated India in a group match in the World Cup last year and, thus, it was a sweet revenge there for Indian women. Young Smriti Mandhana struck with lovely 84 and captain and veteran Mithali Raj spearheaded the innings in middle by a gritty 45.

But it was Jhulan who ripped through South African batting line-up with four wickets. 35 years of age, Jhulan proved that age is just a number and she still has a lot to deliver. Shikha Pandey with three wickets supported her well.

With this victory, Indian ladies have set the tone for the three-match ODI series and three-match T-20 series. Let’s hope they will sweep both.

But for the time being, let’s all hail our superwomen; you have been doing the country proud, relentlessly.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)