Any tournament that you have won 8 out of 10 times says two things. One is that you are too strong, and the second is that the opposition teams are too weak. India’s women’s cricket team lifted yet another Asia Cup trophy after pasting Sri Lanka by 72 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.
Every victory, small or big, should be enjoyed and celebrated, and the Indian cricket team deserves a lot of applause for avenging themselves on Sri Lanka, who had beaten them in the final two years ago in Dambulla. But, if truth be told, this triumph has no real value. India are the strongest team — by miles — in the region, and while they have been stunned here and there, they have been just too good for a very large part. These tournaments should be won, celebrated and forgotten quickly.
We shouldn't forget that the Indian team has not won the T20 World Cup yet. They should have won at least one by now. Earlier this year, they even failed to advance beyond the group stages. That was embarrassing. The kind of investment that the BCCI has put into women’s cricket in the last few years, the Indian team should at least play the semifinals. In the previous edition too, the same had happened. There have been 10 T20 World Cups to date and they have done well in some editions — like runners-up finish in 2020, semi-final appearances in 2009, 2010, 2018 and 2023 — but in view of their massive growth in the last 10 years or so, fans expect much more.
Deep Dive
Why did the Indian women's cricket team refuse to accept the Asia Cup trophy from Mohsin Naqvi?
What does India's performance in the Asia Cup indicate about their strength in women's cricket?
What are the expectations for the Indian women's cricket team after their Asia Cup victory?
It’s a bitter fact that in the tournaments that matter, the Indians have not done well. Yes, they won the 50-overs World Cup last year at home — make no mistake that was a huge, huge achievement — but we can’t stop at one. To be a truly global force, you have to win more and more ICC trophies.
The BCCI is doing its best to encourage them. They get as much board money as the male cricketers in the country. They have an IPL of their own now. Financially, they are so sorted that they can completely focus on their cricket, leaving all other worries behind. All things that can make a team a world-beater, they have at their disposal.
Aim higher!
This article is not an attempt to belittle India’s Asia Cup achievement; it rather aims at raising the bar for Harmanpreet Kaur’s bunch. The India captain during the course of the event became the first cricketer across men’s and women’s to captain in 150 T20I games, but the truth of the matter is she has failed to guide India to a T20 World Cup trophy. She has captained India in five T20 World Cups since 2018, and the team under her did well in the first three with semifinal, final and semifinal appearances. But in the last two editions, the team did fare badly. Maybe she has run out of steam. With all due respect, maybe the time has come to move on from her. Even in the Asia Cup, there were batting collapses as well as fielding issues and if they were up against bigger teams, they would have been punished. Improvement in those areas should be a priority now. Maybe India now should look to Smriti Mandhana to lead in white-ball cricket at least. Remember not long ago, Virat Kohli was sidelined and Rohit Sharma was made captain to bring an end to India’s ICC trophy drought, and it proved to be a great call on the BCCI’s part.
Indian women must know that after their historic ODI World Cup triumph last year, fans’ expectations have skyrocketed — and rightly so. Fans will celebrate the Asia Cup win for sure, but it ain’t the same as winning an ICC trophy. Team India should develop a taste for ICC trophies.