England: Indian cricket’s lucky charm

NEWDELHI: Victory in an ICC event hosted in England is always special as the country is considered the home of cricket. India have savoured many special moments in England and women need to just look back to derive inspiration ahead of Sunday’s final.

England has provided moments of glory for the women. Out of their three overseas Test series wins, two have come in England --- in 2006 and 2014. The other came in South Africa.

England was also the place where it all started to fall in place for India women. In the 1993 World Cup, the team lost by three runs to England at Finchampstead. According to Srirupa Bose, who played for India back then and acted as manager in later years, the loss changed the dynamics of the team.

Speaking to HT, Bose said, “The performance in that match made the world take us seriously and we started to be considered formidable opponents. We were invited to play the Centenary series in New Zealand in 1995. It also featured Australia and we won the tournament!”

Bose added that the fans support in England makes players feel at home. “I had gone to see two matches in this tournament and I saw plenty of Indian fans supporting the team. There were many people with Indian flags cheering the team,” Bose added.

She also said that the current success mirrors the resurgence of women athletes in the country. “Sports is on the upswing in India, especially for women. The performance by this team will encourage girls and women to take up cricket.”

When asked about India’s prospects in the final, Bose said the team has nothing to fear.

“Their morale is high following the big wins over Australia and New Zealand. Mithali Raj will be the key along with Jhulan Goswami and Shikha Pandey. Mithali is the glue that is holding the team together,” she said.