Women’s World Cup: Time for India to break the title-jinx, says WV Raman

The ICC Women’s World Cup is barely four days from kick-off, with hosts India taking on Sri Lanka at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on 30 September. Expectations are sky-high from Harmanpreet Kaur & Co., about them finally ending the jinx of not winning a major ICC title at home, with former coach Woorkeri Raman being extremely upbeat about their chances.

The former Indian opener, regarded as one of the most astute cricketing brains around, was at the helm of the Women in Blue for four years from 2018, and guided them to their first-ever final appearance in the T20 World Cup in Melbourne. They lost the final to Meg Lanning’s Australia in a one-sided match while in 2017, it was a case of so-near-yet-so-far for Mithali Raj’s team as it finished runners-up to England in the ODI World Cup final.

"The girls have come a long way since 2017 in terms of temperament for a number of reasons. This batch has a settled look about it and I think Indian women’s cricket has arrived at a stage where it can catapult to greater heights,’’ said Raman, who will be slipping into a TV pundit’s role during the event next month.

Speaking to National Herald during an exclusive interview, the graceful southpaw from Chennai said the body language of the team has changed, and there is a new-found air of confidence. ‘’They're going into the tournament on the back of a good run where they won their first-ever ODI series in England and gave Australia a big fright at home. Their fitness levels have also improved a lot, with special emphasis by coaches of national teams as well as franchise leagues, while this format suits the Indian team more as they get a little more time to settle,’’ Raman said.

The eight-team field in the Women’s World Cup comprises champions Australia, England, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The format is a round-robin league, with each team playing seven matches and the top two finishers making it to the final on 2 November, a challenge if one aspires to survive until the business end of the tournament. ‘’It’s a terrific format as you will be tested tactically against all the teams, as well as in terms of ability of adapting to different venues, be it in India or Sri Lanka,’’ Raman said.

While the women’s game has thrived on a particular world order for decades with SENA countries ruling the roost, the former coach pins high hopes on India as well as other sub-continental teams.

‘’Australia will be favourites once again, but Sri Lanka has done exceptionally well while Pakistan and Bangladesh have often pulled some surprises. Make no mistake, the teams from the sub-continent have got terrific talent, it’s just that they don’t play enough cricket between marquee ICC tournaments.

‘’Now that ICC has introduced women’s FTP (Future Tours Programme) also, this would give equal exposure to all teams — it’s the best thing that could have happened to the women’s game,’’ he said.

It was during his tenure that Shafali Varma, the prodigious batting talent, broke through the national ranks, with her explosive hitting drawing comparisons with Virender Sehwag. However, the 21-year-old has blown hot and cold since then, and it came as a shocker when she failed to make the cut for the upcoming World Cup.

Commenting on her exclusion, Raman weighed in: ‘’Shafali is a special talent but you have to handle her differently than a Smriti (Mandhana) or Jemimah (Rodrigues). However, I am really hopeful that she will come back and be a contributor to India winning a World Cup or two across formats.’’