Following the India women’s cricket team’s historic World Cup triumph on Sunday, a contentious old comment by former BCCI president N. Srinivasan has resurfaced. The veteran administrator had allegedly told former India captain Diana Edulji that he would “never let women’s cricket grow in India.”
An image showing N Srinivasan (left) and Harmanpreet Kaur.
The comment, originally recalled by Diana Edulji at a 2017 event after Harmanpreet Kaur’s spectacular 171 against Australia in the Women’s World Cup semifinal, highlighted Srinivasan’s alleged stance. Edulji recounted her first meeting with Srinivasan in 2011 upon his assumption of the BCCI presidency, stating, “When Mr. Srinivasan became president, I went to congratulate him at the Wankhede Stadium. He said, ‘If I had my way, I wouldn’t let women’s cricket happen.’ He hates women’s cricket.”
A video showcasing how Greenstone Lobo’s Women’s World Cup predictions were spot on.
Edulji further asserted her long-standing criticism of the BCCI, describing it as “a very male-chauvinist organisation.” She elaborated, “They never wanted women to dictate terms or get into this space. I was very vocal right from my playing days.”
India secured their first-ever Women’s Cricket World Cup title with a decisive 52-run victory over South Africa on Sunday. This historic win was powered by exceptional all-round performances from Deepti Sharma and Shafali Verma.
Opening batter Shafali Verma, who joined the squad as injury cover for the finals, delivered a career-best 87 runs off just 78 balls, helping the co-hosts post a challenging total of 298/7 in 50 overs after being asked to bat first.
In response, South Africa were bowled out for 246 in 45.3 overs. Their chase faltered significantly after captain Laura Wolvaardt was dismissed for a commendable 101. Spinner Deepti Sharma clinched the final wicket, finishing with impressive figures of 5/39 from 9.3 overs.
India’s World Cup-winning captain, Harmanpreet Kaur, also took the opportunity on Sunday to subtly address those who had previously questioned her team’s capabilities.
“I think criticism is also a part of life. It’s not necessary that everything should be good,” she told reporters. “Criticism is one of the main things in life because it brings balance. Otherwise, if everything goes well, you’ll be overconfident. I don’t blame those who criticize, because we know when we aren’t doing something right.”
Kaur emphasized the importance of maintaining perspective:
“I don’t have much to say, but I like to keep both things balanced. When good things happen, I don’t go too high; when bad things happen, I don’t dig deep.”
She concluded by sharing her leadership philosophy:
“For me, the most important thing is to stay balanced, and I try to send the same message to my teammates. When everything is going well — it’s okay, well done, but now we have to maintain it. And even when things aren’t going well, we try to keep everyone together so that we can lift that person up.”
Readers can also find Lovlina Borgohain’s inspiring story on Game On, Episode 5.