The Indian daughters who won the Women’s World Cup have made our country proud and filled us with joy. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi called these champions to meet and encourage them, I was deeply moved. I remembered Jay Shah and all the women players who worked hard to build women’s cricket in India. They faced many struggles and insults but never gave up. Congratulations to all of them for this amazing victory!
Our Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is an experienced leader who has achieved success even in tough situations. He truly understands the happiness that comes with victory. Whenever Indian athletes—whether sons or daughters—achieve something special, he is always there to appreciate and motivate them. It’s not that other Prime Ministers didn’t do this, but Modi ji never misses a chance to encourage our players, even when they lose. One example shows his respect for sports and players very clearly. When the women’s team brought the World Cup trophy, Modi ji didn’t hold it himself for photos. Instead, he let the players proudly hold it. The same thing happened when the men’s team brought their World Cup.
On the day of the Women’s World Cup final, I kept remembering Jay Shah. During a meeting in Ahmedabad, he had once told me confidently, “Just wait and see—I will bring the World Cup for both men and women!” Jay Shah, the son of Home Minister Amit Shah, has shown great talent and leadership. People often say that nothing grows under a big banyan tree, but Jay Shah has proved this saying wrong. When he became the chairman of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, people wondered, “Who is this? Where did he come from?” But Jay Shah proved that, like his father, he possessed a Chanakya-like sense of strategy. He changed the entire landscape. He sidelined all the “I-I” Turram Khans and made it clear that the discussion would only be about cricket. The path to success that the Indian cricket team has taken since his leadership is evident to all, but promoting women’s cricket was no easy task. The situation in men’s and women’s cricket was like that of a wedding procession from a rich family and a wedding procession from a poor family. Players were subjected to all kinds of neglect, humiliation, and exploitation. They weren’t paid their fair fees for their games. They struggled with air tickets. They didn’t even have special buses for them. They had to stand in queues at the airport. I’ve seen what those times were like, so it’s safe to say that this journey for girls has been very difficult. I’ve seen players like Diana Edulji, Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami, Harmanpreet, and Smriti Mandhana struggle. Incidentally, I’d like to mention that the Lokmat Group recognized Smriti Mandhana’s talent early on and was proud to honor her with the Lokmat Maharashtrian of the Year Award.
However, Jay Shah has begun to change the landscape of women’s cricket. Now, women are receiving the same level of access to five-star hotel facilities. Match fees are also being paid equally, but there’s still a huge difference in annual contract amounts compared to men. Why this discrimination? Hopefully, Jay Shah will bring equality to this area as well. Jay Shah launched the Women’s Premier League in India, giving players the opportunity to hone their skills at the domestic level. He also provided funds to strengthen the infrastructure for women’s cricket. It was Jay Shah’s viewpoint that led to the appointment of Amol Muzumdar as coach of the Indian women’s cricket team in October 2023. Even then, it was argued that Amol had never played international cricket, so how was it appropriate to appoint him as coach? But Jay Shah ignored these criticisms.
Amol Mazumdar was fully trusted, and the results are evident. By winning the Women’s Cricket World Cup, Harmanpreet Kaur’s team has paved a new path for India’s daughters. Now, girls’ cricket will become as popular in every village as our sons’. And yes, on this wonderful occasion of victory, I would also like to congratulate the founding stones of Indian women’s cricket.
The players who laid the foundation are: Shanta Rangaswamy, Diana Edulji, Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj, Purnima Rao, Jhulan Goswami, Neetu David, Shubhangi Kulkarni, Veda Krishnamurthy, and Shikha Pandey. It is the result of these players’ struggles that today our daughters have achieved such a position that people proudly say: Are our girls any less than boys? On this auspicious occasion of celebrating the victory of daughters, I would like to say one thing to the entire country that if we recognize the talent of daughters, gather resources to enhance their skills and provide them opportunities, then they can bring more glory to the country.
Betiyaan
hamaari shaktipunj hain,
hamaare gaurav ki goonj hain,
khula aakaash dekar to dekho,
nabh ka sitaara hain betiyaan,
neel gagan ki anugoonj hain!
