New Delhi, Nov 7 India batter Pratika Rawal said the historic Women’s ODI World Cup triumph is a reward not just for the hard work done by the current squad, but also for the generations of legendary players who laid the foundation for women's cricket in the country.
During the post-match celebrations in the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, after India clinched the trophy to beat South Africa by 52 runs, emotional scenes unfolded when the Indian team carried the trophy to Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Anjum Chopra and Reema Malhotra - stalwarts who had come agonisingly close to winning the title in previous editions of the ODI World Cup.
“So we were having that round in which we say thank you to all the fans. I saw Jhulan ma'am crying, Mithali ma'am was there and Anjum ma'am was there lifting the trophy. It didn't feel like she hadn’t won the trophy - it felt like she played the match today and won the final. So it felt like an awe moment and just to see how much understanding this team has, generation to generation,” recalled Pratika in an exclusive conversation with IANS on Thursday.
An emotional Jhulan stood between captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, while expressing her gratitude to both of them. After Jhulan, Mithali held the trophy aloft with a radiant smile, surrounded by applause from the squad she once led.
The Indian team also presented the trophy to Anjum and Reema, with the latter sharing a light-hearted moment with Harmanpreet by singing a popular Hindi song, ‘Sadda haq, aithe rakh’.
“It was the reward for every one of us – not just our team, but the years that have gone by, for these legends of the game. The sacrifices they made to bring women's cricket up and to uplift it - finally, they've been rewarded.
“So it felt really good to see everyone was in tears and had utmost joy. They were enjoying and lifting the trophy. There are a lot of pictures and I've saved them in my phone and I want to keep them in my phone for the entire life,” added Pratika.
She further spoke about what the impact of this ODI World Cup win would be on women’s cricket ecosystem in India. "So, women's cricket, definitely, will get a big push. I think it all started when they were the finalists in the 2017 World Cup. Women got the recognition, which was long due.
"Now, when we have won the World Cup, I think the amount of recognition that we are getting right now is going to excite a large number of young girls coming to the sport, taking it professionally, inspire a lot of Pratikas’, a lot of Kranti Gauds, or maybe younger Krantis or Jemimahs to take the sport at the higher level.
"They can finally feel that they can convince their parents by saying that, ‘No, dad, look, they are doing it too, I want to do it too’. I'm very happy that we're at that stage where we can inspire a lot of girls, not just in cricket, I think in every sport, that they play any sport, and win it at the highest level for their country,” she added.
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