Cricket in India has always been more than a sport; it’s a cultural phenomenon. Yet, for decades, the story of women’s cricket unfolded far from the limelight, often marred by uncertainty and limited support.
That narrative is changing-and was celebrated at The Hindu Huddle 2025, where three generations of Indian women cricketers, Shantha Rangaswamy, Mithali Raj, and Shreyanka Patil, shared candid insights into the remarkable journey of the women’s game in India.
Shantha Rangaswamy, the trailblazing first captain of the Indian women’s team, set the tone for the session, aptly titled “No Boundaries: Growth of Women’s Cricket in India”. Reflecting on the earliest days, she credited pure passion as the force that kept women in the game despite societal and infrastructural constraints. “We laid the foundation. We may not have seen the likes of Mithali and Shreyanka if we had faltered in the initial stages,” Shantha remarked, reminding everyone that progress demands both courage and perseverance.
Her words echo the struggles of an era when women’s cricket was sustained largely by determination. With little institutional support and minimal resources, the pioneers played for love of the sport, a legacy that would ultimately propel the game to broader acceptance.
If Shantha’s generation built the foundation, Mithali Raj’s era raised the pillars. With an illustrious career spanning over two decades, Mithali became not just the backbone of the Indian team but also the face of women’s cricket for millions. The watershed moment, according to her, arrived in 2006 when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) took women’s cricket under its wing.
“In my early days, the financial aspect was not great. It was a struggle to get investors and endorsements. Coming under the BCCI was huge, it opened access to better infrastructure, resources, equipment, and domestic structure,” Mithali recalled. This strategic integration granted women players access to world-class facilities like the National Cricket Academy, and, perhaps just as importantly, mentorship from icons such as Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
Mithali’s anecdote-seeking advice from Tendulkar on facing fast bowlers, underscored the transformative power of this new ecosystem. Training on 18-yard pitches instead of the standard 22-yard length, as advised by Tendulkar, proved pivotal to her continued success on the international stage. This kind of cross-pollination of cricketing wisdom would have been unthinkable in the earlier, more insular era.
For Shreyanka Patil, one of India’s rising stars, the difference is palpable. Today’s generation enjoys infrastructure, exposure, and recognition undreamt of by their predecessors. “Shantha madam laid the foundation, then came Mithali. In women’s cricket, Mithali was the biggest name for us. Our generation cannot thank our seniors enough for what they have done,” Shreyanka said. She acknowledged how societal attitudes have shifted: “They had to face challenges initially because not all families allowed girls to play. We are now in a stage where we get everything.”
It’s a full-circle moment, one where the sacrifices and triumphs of earlier generations have secured a brighter, more stable path for those who now wear the India jersey.
The journey of women’s cricket in India, as traced through the stories of these three generations, is a compelling testament to resilience and evolution. From the uncertainty of the early days to the stability and promise of today, each era has carved its own path, paving the way for the next.
The emergence of platforms like the WPL and the increasing involvement of the BCCI have not only elevated the standard of play but also inspired a new generation of girls to dream big. As The Hindu Huddle 2025 session concluded, it became clear that Indian women’s cricket stands on solid ground. The corridor of uncertainty has given way to a vista of possibilities.
Yet, the road ahead calls for continued advocacy, more matches, equal opportunities, and robust grassroots development. As Shantha, Mithali, and Shreyanka’s stories reveal, women’s cricket in India is no longer confined by boundaries, it is propelled by the aspiration to achieve parity, recognition, and excellence.
