The Real Stars: A Star Victory against Australia for ‘Women in Blue’
Seems like there’s no stopping now for the India Women’s National Cricket Team. The audiences on Thursday witnessed a comprehensive win in ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 match against Australia. An undefeated 171 runs of 115 balls against Australia was played by Harmanpreet Kaur which paved the team’s way to the victory, which proved to be a truly memorable knock.
The ‘Women in Blue’ will now meet England at Lord’s on Sunday in their initial 50-over last since 2005, hoping to secure their first ladies’ ICC Trophy. The way of their 36-run triumph, alongside Kaur’s tenacious bat-attack, leaves England with much to consider.
The team has been on a record-breaking spree since the Women’s Quadrangular Series in May this year.
The 28-year-old delivered a standout amongst essential hits in the last of the ICC Women’s World Cup qualifier in February this year, staying unbeaten on a run-a-ball 41 to control India to a restricted one-wicket win in Colombo. Requiring eight to win off the last two balls, Harmanpreet showed nerves of steel as she hit a six and gathered two off the last ball to direct the India to a vital triumph. Her hits have been compared to those of Kapil Dev in 1983 World Cup knocks of 179 off 138 balls. However, even the hits are not an easy comparison to make, as both the men’s and women’s cricket teams play in different leagues and different one-off tournaments.
Eminent politicians and personalities boasted congratulatory messages on Twitter platforms, some of them making their way to humorous social media scuffles. Politician Rajiv Shukla got the name of the competition wrong, calling it a ‘Champions Trophy’ tournament instead of ICC Women’s World Cup. He deleted and revised the tweet almost immediately, but to his horror, the previous tweet had already caught the eye of some of the ardent users of Twitter.
Women’s Cricket players, however, have to put in a little extra effort to be noticed. A systematic process, if followed, for upping the game of the team can help them maintain their position consistently at the top. The team also suffered a major setback with its loss in the match against Pakistan in the initial days of the competition. People have to go a long way to understand the big-match experience and the maturity that the team has gained over the years.
The Women Cricket Team has now strived hard to become as modernised a team as they are today. They have come to terms to know the fast-paced versions of the limited match over. They have perhaps recognised the strengths and weaknesses of the rival teams, and are comprehending and defining strategies to get the best out of their own players.
The Indian women have time and again shown how to adapt to situations, the cricket team is no far away. Players like captain Mithali Raj, Smrithi Mandana, and Harmanpreet Kaur are redefining the meaning of cricket in the country. The improvisations in their run-rate, bowling strategies redefined, and implementing a lot of variations in their fielding methods, have led the ‘Women in Blue’ to a historic win against the six-time World Cup champions Australia.
