Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar feels that while the women's World Cup triumph will be a turning point for women's cricket in the country, it cannot be compared to the men's team's 1983 World Cup victory. He pointed out that the men's team hadn't made it to the knockout stage of any tournament at that time while the women's team had made it to the stage multiple times before eventually winning the trophy.
“There were some who tried to compare this win with the men’s team winning the World Cup in 1983. The men had never progressed beyond the group stage in earlier editions, and so everything from the knockout stage onward was new to them, while the women already had a better record, having been in two finals before this magnificent triumph," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.
He further highlighted the similarities between the two triumphs and remarked that the women's team's victory will see many parents aspire their children to take up the game and build their future around it.
“Just as the ’83 win galvanised Indian cricket and gave it a voice that was heard around the world, this victory will make the countries that started women’s cricket long before India did realise that their era of domination has been shaken. The ’83 win also encouraged parents of aspiring cricketers to let their children take up the game," Gavaskar further wrote.
India's memorable World Cup journey
Meanwhile, many hadn't expected the Indian women's team to lift their maiden World Cup title especially after they had an average league stage. They only won three out of their seven league games and finished fourth on the standings with 7 points, making the cut into the knockouts. However, it was the victory over defending champions Australia in the semi-final that turned out to be a game-changer.
India turn up the heat in knockouts
The Women in Blue went on to chase down a humongous 339-run target thanks to an incredible knock of 127* by Jemimah Rodrigues and booked their place in the final. Though South Africa wasn't a walk in the park by any means, Harmanpreet Kaur & Co. managed to down their opponents in the final by 52 runs. This victory saw them become just the fourth team after England, Australia and New Zealand to win the coveted Women's World Cup title in the 52-year long history of the tournament.