'They're not that far away' - Former India cricketer believes Indian women's team is going to create history soon

Indian Women's Cricket Team (Source: Twitter)

While the Indian senior team are yet to have their hands on the coveted Women’s 20-20 World Cup Trophy, the U19 team achieved success in their first attempt itself winning the U19 20-20 World Cup beating England in the final in January 2023.

India came mighty close to winning the 20-20 World Cup in 2020 but were comprehensively beaten by the hosts and defending champions Australia. However, former India Head Coach Ravi Shastri believes that the fortunes of the senior women’s team are also going to change soon and they can draw inspiration from the success of the U19 team and win the 20-20 World Cup 2023.

"I've always said the biggest thing that's going to happen in women's cricket, and the women's team is (not) that far away. I've kept saying it for the last six, eight months (India's women's team) are not that far away from winning a big one. They've threatened, they've reached finals, they've lost some close games, but they're there,” Shastri said.

The 60-year-old was a part of India’s squad which won their first-ever World Cup title in 1983. Shastri credited the World Cup triumph which proved to be a turning point as the popularity of cricket in India began to grow.

The former allrounder believes a similar spike in the women's game is possible should Harmanpreet Kaur's side win their first T20 title in South Africa this month.

I know what happened in 83: Ravi Shastri

“I know what happened in ‘83, when we won the World Cup, it opened up a Pandora's Box,” said Shastri, who represented the national team in 80 Tests and 150 ODIs.

“The whole look at the game changed, you know, the way players were perceived, the way the game was perceived, the way people wanted. To pack the system, the way the monetisation of the sport changed overnight,” he added.

“I see that happening with the women's cricket. Now, under-19 is just a step. It was fabulous to see the way the young girls played, and won. And, especially the final, to beat a team like England, bowl them out for 68 and then do the job was an outstanding achievement and that spurred a lot of young cricketers to take the sport,” he further said.