Indian Team's T20 WC Semi-Final Exit More Than Just Another Lost Opportunity

The Indian women's team were defeated by Australia in the semi-final of the 2023 T20 World Cup.

There's no doubt that these are great times for Women's Cricket in India. The auction for the inaugural Women's Premier League got done just a few days back, and the tournament itself is also set to begin in just about a week.

The players got life-changing money in the auction, something that has never been seen in women's cricket before, and an organisation like TATA has come on board as the title sponsor as well. So, such huge influx of money, resources, and, most importantly, increased visibility of the players, will help in changing the landscape of women’s cricket in India rapidly.

Make no mistake, the condition of Women's cricket is much better now than it has ever been. The Indian eves have been consistent performers in international games and ICC tournaments over the years, and the WPL is expected to accelerate its growth even further.

But there is no doubt that a global title could have been a real shot in the arm for the changing times in women’s cricket in India. So, there were high hopes from the Indian eves when they made it to the semi-final of the Women's T20 World Cup again.

Another Close Defeat

At one point, when Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues were batting, it looked like India were going to pull off the chase of 173 easily. But Rodrigues got dismissed and Kaur also got run out in an unfortunate manner to trigger a collapse that we have been quite familiar with over the years.

The Indian eves have found themselves in positions of ascendancy in three knockout games of global events since 2017, yet they have somehow managed to lose the plot completely in the final moments of the matches.

9, 9, and 5. These are the margins of runs by which the Indian eves have encountered losses in three of their last five knockout matches of different global events, including the ICC Women's ODI World Cup final in 2017, the Commonwealth Games Final in 2022, and the Women's T20 World Cup semi final yesterday.

India not only got close to chasing down the targets in such high pressure games, but ended up losing them after being in strong positions on each of these occasions. The losses in the ODI World Cup final in 2017 and CWG final last year were pretty familiar, and they were expected to learn from their mistakes and improve this time. Instead, the same series of unfortunate events and mistakes were seen again at Newlands on Thursday, leading to yet another disappointing exit after reaching the knockout stages.

The Doors a Win Could Have Opened

A Global title could have inspired the next generation of Women's cricketers in a great manner. It would have inspired many young girls to take up the sport as a profession, and would have instilled confidence in their parents as well. Coupled with the beginning of the WPL, it could have changed the face of Women's cricket in India completely.

The title would have enhanced India's reputation in the world, and a world champion nation starting a tournament of WPL's scale would have made India a superpower in women's cricket as well. The BCCI would also invest more in women's cricket, at least they had to, if India had won the title this time.

The IPL has been running for 15 years now, and it is quite surprising that it took them so long to make WPL a reality. England and Australia have been arranging full fledged competitive leagues for the women like The Hundred and the WBBL for years now. The BCCI, with all the power and hold they have over the cricket market, should have started the WPL way before.

But the lack of global titles just kept giving them excuses to overlook the condition of women’s cricket in the country. Media pressure and competitiveness from other cricket boards played a major factor in making the WPL happen, and it is high time that the Indian team stepped up with their performance in global events now to claim the title that has been eluding them for years.

Once the WPL begins, it will improve the depth of the player pool in the country massively, something that the BCCI officials have always cited as an excuse to hold off the WPL. The domestic players are expected to grow at a faster rate as they rub shoulders with seasoned campaigners from international cricket, and also get access to better resources.

The competitive matches should also help them to stay better prepared for tense situations in crucial matches of global events. Yes, the loss in the T20 World Cup semifinal yesterday is a massive opportunity lost to align with the great times for women’s cricket India. But now that it is already done, the focus should be on the way ahead and making the coming time a huge success, with all the necessary resources and attention in the right place.