India and Cricket - the relationship goes way back in time! Remember the time MS Dhoni hit a six to bring the World Cup home? Of course you do! However, do you remember when the last Women’s Cricket World Cup was played? Or who the current captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team is? Still hunting for the answer? Believe it or not, the outlook for women’s cricket in India is very different from that for the gentlemen of the game.

Indian Cricket scripted a remarkable story by putting itself on the map with the 1983 World Cup win. And, while there is a long way to go, the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup win gave a sense of hope and recognition for women’s cricket in India.

So, what’s the story of women’s cricket in India?

• Not only were 26000 tickets sold at the final of the Women’s World Cup in Lords, 50% were bought by women. That’s not all – another 180 million around the world watched the final game on their TV screens increasing viewership by 300% compared to the previous World Cup.
• The BCCI has planned more tours and an IPL for women is in the offing to make players more secure financially and bring them into the limelight.
• Additionally, the BCCI has decided to reward women cricketers with a threefold increment in the new annual contracts as a way to encourage more women to take up the sport.
• More importantly, companies such as TENVIC led by Anil Kumble and Vasanth Bharadwaj are focusing on structured sports coaching for all with more opportunities being provided at the school and college level.

While we hope that all women cricketers in India get recognized for their talent and hard work, here's a look at some of them who've set the bar high!

Smriti Mandhana:
Only Indian in the ICC Women’s Team of the Year 2016.
BCCI International Cricketer of the Year 2017-18.
Harmanpreet Kaur:
BCCI International Cricketer Of The Year 2016-17.
Jhulan Goswami:
ICC Women’s Cricketer Of The Year 2017.
The first to pick up 200 ODI wickets in Women’s Cricket.

As you can see, the times are changing for women’s cricket and while the struggle is still real, it is good to see that most Indians are beginning to realise that women cricketers also put in the hard yards. Let’s pitch for their success and hope they scale new heights.

Future Stars practise in Mahasamund, Chattisgarh...

...while some of the Current Stars impress on the world stage