The award was presented by Nirmala Lakshman, Chairperson of The Hindu Group, and Sumanth Krishna, Director of Casagrand.<\/p>\n
For those who played the game in the early years, passion often had to compensate for the absence of support.<\/p>\n
\u201cFifty years is a long time. Our journey has been a long one, and it was very difficult playing in those days,\u201d said Edulji.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople would say that women shouldn\u2019t play and that they belonged in the kitchen. But we survived all that. We played purely for the passion. We even paid our own expenses to travel abroad and represent India. Today, it\u2019s a completely different ball game.\u201d<\/p>\n
For decades, the team competed largely outside the national spotlight. That began to change in 2005 when India reached the Women\u2019s World Cup final in South Africa, announcing itself on the global stage. The subsequent integration of women\u2019s cricket into the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) brought a significant structural shift, improving facilities, funding and administrative support.<\/p>\n
Yet, the moment that truly altered the sport\u2019s trajectory arrived in 2017.<\/p>\n
India\u2019s run to the final of the 2017 ICC Women\u2019s Cricket World Cup at Lord\u2019s captured the imagination of a nation. It was the first Women\u2019s World Cup in which every match was available, either on television or via live streaming, and the final was played before a sold-out crowd.<\/p>\n
For former captain Sudha, the contrast with earlier decades could hardly be sharper.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we started playing cricket, spectators often came out of curiosity just to see whether women could actually play,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of our matches was televised, and we were lucky if we found a small corner in the newspaper. There was simply no visibility. Today, these cricketers are household names, and it\u2019s wonderful to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rise of the modern Indian women\u2019s team has been built on the foundation laid by those earlier generations.<\/p>\n
For Jhulan, one of the greatest fast bowlers the game has produced, the journey began with inspiration drawn from the legends she watched growing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I started playing, I used to watch Kapil Dev, Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOver the years, I\u2019ve understood that cricket is all about consistency and hard work. As a youngster, I just wanted to bowl fast. When I played with boys, they rarely gave me the ball because they thought I would bowl slowly. That only pushed me to bowl even faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
The launch of the Women\u2019s Premier League (WPL) in 2023 further expanded the sport\u2019s reach and commercial value.<\/p>\n
That progress reached a historic peak in 2025 when India lifted its maiden ICC Women\u2019s Cricket World Cup title.<\/p>\n
The current Indian women\u2019s team was also recognised with the National Team of the Year award for that landmark triumph.<\/p>\n
The award was accepted by Deepti Sharma and Sneh Rana, alongside national team bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi, from former captains Shubhangi and Nilima, in the presence of Parveen Chander Kumar (SVP \u2013 Taj Group of Hotels).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe enjoyed the journey a lot,\u201d Deepti said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven after the first three games didn\u2019t go our way, we didn\u2019t get nervous. We kept believing that the deeper we went into the tournament, the closer we would get to having a real chance of winning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sneh emphasised the team\u2019s preparation and belief.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe belief within the group was very strong. We started planning everything almost six months in advance \u2014 working on strategies, practising constantly and backing ourselves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven after losses, we never lost that belief. We even made a trophy and told ourselves that one day we would lift the real one. You could call it manifestation \u2014 and eventually, it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Published on Mar 13, 2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n