T20 is changing the whole world of cricket as a sport. Like many other lesser-followed sports in India, women's cricket hasn't gained much recognition. The build-up to ICC World T20 2016 has been pretty exhaustive for Mithali Raj and the Indian cricket team.
But, a historic series win against Australia followed by drubbing Sri Lanka at home might be the turning point for this team. While Indian men's team won 2-1 against Sri Lanka recently, the women's team won 3-0. So the team's ability and talent shows.
Today at Ferozeshah Kotla in Delhi, while India will look to register their second win in the tournament, Pakistan will look to pull things back after losing the first game.
India vs Pakistan Women's cricket Live Streaming info
TV Channel: Star Sports 2, HD2 (English)
Date: 19 March 2016, Saturday
Today’s Match Time: 15:30 IST, 10:00 GMT
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi
They have already carried the self-belief and confidence in the tournament which was evident against Bangladesh. An all-round performance gave the Indian women a 72-run win over our neighbours at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore while Pakistan lost to the West Indies by four runs in their first game in Chennai.
Since 2005, the two teams have played only 14 limited-over matches against each other, with India prevailing on 13 occasions.
Just like 1983 World Cup gave Kapil Dev's team a big boost, a win today and eventually lifting the World Cup will surely ignite much-needed fan support for these Indian women. Not that the women who have been flying under the radar for quite some time are complaining, but we need to see them on TV now. It has been ignored for far too long.
Showed the world how to win matches
Firstly, we have three world class batsman at the top - Mithali Raj, Vellaswamy Vanitha, and Smriti Mandhana. Harmanpreet Kaur and Veda Krishnamurthy are just as talented as any other women cricketers.
Then they have quality pace and spin bowling to counter the opposition. In the last match against Bangladesh, it was so heartening to see a disciplined bowling attack.
Jhulan Goswami, Anuja Patil, Deepti Sharma, and Poonam Yadav are all exciting talents. Rajeshwari Gayakwad and Ekta Bisht have strengthened the spin department. I don't remember if the Indian women's team had been any better than this ever before.
Most importantly, this is a team of individuals with modesty and humility. They love to keep a low profile and prefer giving their best on the field.
Nothing to lose, many things to gain
With a strong core of young and experienced players in the rank, Mithali Raj will give Meg Lanning and Charlotte Edwards a run for their money. BCCI has done little to promote women's cricket in India.
Like Saina Nehwal, Mary Kom, and Sania Mirza, these women have a huge potential to bring more glory particularly in a cricket crazy country like ours. They certainly deserve more support and attention than what they currently receive.
Remember, they have nothing to lose today, but we have many things to gain.
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