Photo Credit: Facebook Photo of Virat Kohli
The growing prominence of India’s women’s cricket team has played a crucial role in reshaping perceptions of women’s sports, leading to greater engagement, financial stability, and commercial success. Indian men’s batter Virat Kohli credited the team’s achievements as a catalyst for this transformation.
With a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and gold at the 2023 Asian Games, India’s women’s team has firmly established itself as a powerhouse, currently ranked third in both the ICC’s ODI and T20 rankings, behind only Australia and England.
Kohli, an ODI World Cup winner, highlighted their influence, stating, “I think what the India women’s cricket team has done over the last few years, they are the ones who were the catalysts to put the attention onto them (women’s sports).”
Reflecting on the team’s journey, he emphasized the growing belief and engagement surrounding women’s cricket. “I literally saw it happening like in a time span of six, seven years. The way they started playing, you could see the belief that people started engaging in a lot more,” he said.
The commercial growth of the sport has followed, leading to the creation of the Women’s Premier League (WPL), a significant milestone for women’s cricket in India. While the men’s Indian Premier League (IPL) was established in 2008, it took 15 years for women to have a league of their own.
Kohli acknowledged the impact of the WPL, stating, “Eventually, it got to a place where commercials became better. Money was being infused into the women’s game and then you have the WPL. The league has taken the game two to three levels higher than it used to be.”
However, he also stressed that the advancement of sports in a country should not rely solely on men’s participation. “You can’t just look at the men for the improvement of sport in any country,” he noted. “It has to be a collective sports culture and it includes everyone. And women’s sport is a massive part of it.”
Beyond cricket, Kohli pointed to India’s rich pool of female athletes across various disciplines. “We have so much talent in women’s sport, not just cricket, but all the other sports. We have had great individual athletes over the years – tennis, badminton, wrestling, and boxing,” he said. “It’s definitely heading in the right direction and it keeps getting more backing and more infrastructure to be developed for them as well as for their sport to grow.”
The success of women’s cricket could also have a ripple effect on other sports in India, as highlighted by former Australia footballer and FIFA Council member Moya Dodd. She echoed Kohli’s sentiments, emphasizing that cricket’s rise could pave the way for increased participation in different sports.
“I think there’s room for more than one sport and, even though one sport may lead, I think it does create space for women to participate in other sports,” Dodd said. “The success of women’s cricket in India will drive that movement, and other women’s sports will gain the permission of society to also reflect that and build their growth from that.”
While cricket has been the driving force behind the shift in India’s sporting landscape, further support and exposure are still needed to expand opportunities for women in other sports.
Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
