The Indian Women Cricket team getting same match fees like Men team. They have a contractual Grade Payment slab. Scientific and modern facilities they are getting. Can this team be the all time india best in 2026 ?

By Rahul Das ( Part 4)

Their victories were measured against men’s milestones, their failures magnified. There were questions about their physical strength and, staggeringly, their commitment. In the early stages of this World Cup, after three straight losses to South Africa, Australia and England, the criticism turned ugly. Social media was rife with comments suggesting that players “belong in the kitchen”, that equal pay with their male counterparts (the women, in fact, get equal match fees and not equivalent central contracts) was unjustified. Rather than questions over their tactics or execution of plans, the players faced scrutiny steeped in misogyny. When they faltered, even some in the media were quick to ask, “How can they lose despite being given everything?” For women cricketers, setbacks are often viewed as proof of indulgence, as though they must constantly justify the resources invested in them.

During the semi-final against Australia, a spectator posted a video on Instagram showing men at the stadium mocking Rodrigues for “being too thin”. The videos of her that eventually went viral were of her iconic innings, which knocked out the defending champions in a record-breaking chase, but what if the result had been different?

Among those in the stands watching India win the final against South Africa was Sudha Shah, the former India player and head coach of the team that lost the 2005 final to Australia. Being there with her former team-mates Diana Edulji and Kulkarni, who were part of the team in the 1980s and 90s, left her emotional. Shah hoped the victory would help change mindsets across the country.

“I got a call from my friend’s son and he was like, ‘Aunty, I thought girls couldn’t play, but after watching this, I know I’m wrong. This World Cup has changed my perspective. I was so impressed with the way they were diving and fielding and taking the catches, and their hitting.’ And I was like, wow, that’s what you want to hear.”

For ages, cricket in India has had a certain masculine gatekeeping. Stadiums, commentary boxes, and living rooms during games were spaces where women were often made to feel like guests rather than participants, expected to justify their presence with their knowledge of the game.

Cricket: India – Flashback 2025 – Pinnacle News https://share.google/uphs4866yEwJXsp68

There is anecdotal evidence that this World Cup felt different.”For the first time, there was no ‘we’ve been watching this forever, who are you to come in and claim to follow this’ energy,” Kirti, a 31-year-old techie from Bengaluru, says. “In fact, watching men spout facts about the women’s team was a positive, happy feeling as opposed to being made to feel unworthy of watching the sport.”

Women’s cricket has always existed on the fringes of the nation’s imagination – acknowledged, but rarely celebrated at scale. That’s why this win and its aftermath seem to portend deeper change, even in the perception that women’s cricket is a less-interesting cousin of the real thing.For girls living outside the big cities, the World Cup victory tells them their dreams don’t have to shrink to fit their surroundings. Deepti Sharma bowled to her brother in the lanes of Agra. Renuka Singh honed her swing in Dharamsala. Kranti Gaud, from Chhindwara in Madhya Pradesh, grew up facing financial struggle and social resistance in a village that did not allow girls to play sport. Now, neighbours and relatives are flocking to her parents’ home, feeding them sweets, celebrating their daughter’s success.This could challenge generations-deep chauvinism that positioned cricket as male territory or urban privilege. When parents in villages see players like Gaud and Renuka being celebrated on national television, it reframes possibilities.

This Women’s World Cup also revealed aspects of professional sport that are rarely on display in the men’s game. Rodrigues speaks openly about her anxiety, unafraid to express her vulnerability. The Indian players console the South Africans with long hugs after the final. Harmanpreet admits she often cries in the dressing room. In a sport and society where toughness is often equated with silence and stoicism, such moments help normalise mental-health struggles, compassion, and emotional maturity.Bias, however, doesn’t vanish overnight no matter how bright the fireworks or how viral the social-media posts. The time for transformation in women’s cricket is finally here; the question is how this momentum will be harnessed for growth.

“Winning is great, but then to remain on top is even more tough,” Sudha Shah says. “The BCCI have been having camps and they’ve got a lot of facilities. They should just continue doing it. There should be a lot more India A tours – I think we should start getting the second-string team prepared and continue this momentum.”Improvement at the top-level of women’s cricket in India is perhaps more straightforward to sustain. The greater effort is needed at the grassroots, to keep the fire that has just been lit burning when the spotlight fades. They are not just “queens” or “India’s daughters” when they win. They are professionals all year round, and role models for a generation that will hopefully not have to fight the battles for visibility and validation that Harmanpreet and her team-mates, and those who came before them, did. ( The End)