Wings of hope

Praises kept floating from across the country as India’s Under-19 women’s team lifted the maiden World Cup title on Sunday. Team India appeared clinical in its approach as it outrightly outclassed the English team. It is a feat to be celebrated, cherished and remembered for a long time. But, at the same time, it is much more than that. It is yet another indication that the glory of sports in India has trickled down to the lowest strata — breaking the barriers of gender, class and age. It is not just about cricket. Mushrooming of a nationwide sporting spirit is more palpable today than at any point in recent history. Inter-sport coordination was visibly clear as none other than India’s sporting sensation Neeraj Chopra made time to hold pep talks with the girls before they clashed with the formidable English team. His motivating words must have been an important factor, as acknowledged by the U-19 captain Shafali Verma. The victorious girls will be felicitated by none other than the God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar. It also speaks of the importance accorded to sporting tournaments across disciplines and age groups. Generations came together as U-19 coach Nooshin Al Khadeer saw her dream come true — a dream that was shattered 17 years back in Centurion when the Indian women’s team lost to the mighty Australians in the final of the World Cup. India’s senior team’s rockstar Harmanpreet Kaur, too, seeks to draw inspiration from the victory as the ICC T20 Women’s World Cup is all set to start on February 10. Harmanpreet will not just have inspiration; she will also be accompanied by the winning U19 captain Shafali Verma, who turned 19 last Saturday, throughout the campaign. New 'sheroes' have emerged from the glorious victory. As news reports reveal, their journey to this flourishing moment has been interspersed with bumpy, rocky hurdles. They have braved many odds before the nation eagerly embraced them as new role models. Credit to the indomitable spirit of the girls and their supportive parents, India approaches the threshold of becoming a sporting giant in the true sense of the term. In doing so, there will be more hurdles that need to be crossed. Keeping the discourse limited to cricket, India’s senior women’s team has a daunting challenge of not just making it to the semi-finals and the finals but also laying their hands on coveted ICC trophies. One may argue that it is just about breaking mental barriers. This might be partially true but the fact remains that the Indian team has been, on many occasions, outclassed by the mighty Aussies, skill- and temperament-wise, in big matches. The senior team might still be lacking what it takes to be a world champion. The standard of the game has to go a notch higher if India’s women’s team is to reign supreme at the upcoming ICC tournament. Shafali Verma was part of the losing team in the last T20 World Cup. With the winning experience in U-19 this time around, she could help the senior team to come out victorious as well. Though the dominance and prowess of India’s men’s cricket remain largely unchallenged, they, too, are under the scanner for being choked at big ICC tournaments. The momentum created by the U-19 girls can go a long way in imbibing a positive spirit in India’s international men cricketers as well. The most pronounced impact of India U-19 women’s team victory, however, would be that it will provide wings of hope to another batch of aspiring young girls and their parents to dream high and make those dreams come true. Besides earning laurels and praises, the U-19 girls added immensely to the cause of mainstreaming women’s cricket in non-elite segments of society. It is also an assertion of the fact that India’s recognition in women’s cricket didn’t end with Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj, and it will not end with Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Harleen Deol. There are the likes of Shafali Verma, Parshavi Chopra, Titas Sadhu and many others who possess the grit to carry forward the legacy and build upon it.