For the keen followers of Indian cricket, the recent match India played against England was disappointing. Both the men’s team and the women’s teams lost their matches.
The performance of the women’s team was painfully tragic, despite the hype. Though it is not because they did not have the potential.
What is worse was the current captain of the women’s team Harmanpreet Kaur, justifying the exclusion of Mithali Raj. She called it a decision made in the interest of the team. Given the proven stature of Raj and her contribution in all the wins of our previous matches in the ongoing World Cup, she should have been the first choice for the role of the captain in this series.
The team lost to England very badly and lost, despite putting up a good start. They ended up collapsing in a heap. This perhaps reflects the immaturity of the captain and the selectors may have to seriously consider her fitness to continue to lead the team.
Raj deserved better treatment. The end result is that all the hard work of the team members, support team and others, individually and collectively, have come to an end as the Indian women’s team lost in the semi-finals.
Cricket is a game of chance. The team that plays better on that day, wins the match. History is proof of good teams losing to weaker teams. No one is bigger than the game.
- The reader is a resident of Chennai, India.
