Lucknow: As India’s women cricketers scripted history with their landmark victory over England at the Lord’s, the famous balcony at the ‘Home of Cricket’ became more than just the backdrop for another sporting triumph.It stood as a symbol of a journey that began over a century ago, when a handful of schoolgirls in Kerala quietly picked up cricket bats at a time when the game was considered the exclusive preserve of men.The road from those modest beginnings to one of the biggest victories in Indian women’s cricket has been long, marked by forgotten pioneers, passionate enthusiasts and generations of players who kept the dream alive despite limited opportunities.Social activist and author, Vandana Mishra, who has extensively researched the history of women’s cricket in India, says the game’s roots run much deeper than most people realise.“One of the earliest recorded women’s cricket matches in India was played in Kottayam, Kerala, between students of Baker School and the CMS College hostel,” says Mishra.“According to historical accounts published in Gulf News, Australian missionary Glen Callaway, who arrived in Kerala in 1912 and later became principal of Baker School, encouraged girls to take up cricket. It was a modest beginning, but one that sowed the seeds of a sporting revolution,” she adds.Although men’s cricket had taken shape in India by the 1890s, women’s cricket evolved slowly. Scattered historical records suggest that women had begun embracing the sport decades before formal structures came into existence.Mishra points to another fascinating episode from the 1930s, when a ‘Ladies XI’ reportedly took on the ‘Gentlemen of Khar’ in Bombay. Though exhibition matches were rare, they reflected the growing enthusiasm among women to step onto the cricket field despite social barriers.Perhaps the most colourful chapter came in 1962 with the ‘Star Cricketers Carnival’, organised to raise funds for film workers. Bollywood’s biggest names traded film sets for cricket grounds, with Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor captaining rival teams packed with leading actresses.“Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Nanda, Nirupa Roy, Nimmi, Leela Naidu, Shyama, Shammi, Shakeela and Shubha Khote played with remarkable enthusiasm,” Mishra says.Nirupa Roy dismissed IS Johar after he had settled at the crease, Nanda struck boundaries with confidence, while several actresses impressed with disciplined bowling spells.The game finally acquired an organised structure in 1971 with the formation of Bombay’s first women’s cricket club, Alby’s, founded by Parsi cricket enthusiast Alu Bamjee.Similar clubs soon emerged in Pune and Chennai, while girls across Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal increasingly embraced the sport.The watershed moment came in 1973 with the formation of the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), which united players from different states and laid the foundation for organised domestic competitions. The association became the nursery from which generations of Indian cricketers would emerge.International success, however, took time.India reached its first Women’s ODI World Cup final in 2005 before losing to Australia. Twelve years later, the team came close to lifting the trophy but fell just nine runs short against England at the Lord’s. That heartbreak would eventually inspire a fearless new generation.In Jan 2023, India announced its arrival on the global stage by winning the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa under captain Shafali Verma.The triumph echoed India’s maiden men’s T20 World Cup victory under MS Dhoni in 2007 in more ways than one. Both were inaugural ICC tournaments, both were played in South Africa, and in both finals a fast bowler earned the Player of the Match award — Titas Sadhu in 2023 and Irfan Pathan in 2007.The Under-19 triumph transformed the narrative around women’s cricket in India.India’s latest triumph at the Lord’s is the natural progression of that story.“It is not merely another victory but the culmination of decades of perseverance — from schoolgirls playing informal matches in Kottayam to conquering cricket’s most iconic venue,” she says.“Every milestone has been built on the efforts of women who played the game when there was little recognition, infrastructure or support. Today’s victories belong as much to those forgotten pioneers as they do to the current generation,” Mishra remarks.
