India’s under 19 women’s team creates history with their first T20 World Cup win

Just in: On Sunday, the Women in Blue claimed victory in ICC’s inaugural T20 under-19 women’s World Cup. The team, led by opening batter Shafali Verma defeated England by seven wickets to win the cup. Bowling first, the team, with players such as Titas Sadhu and Archana Devi, who absolutely thrashed the top order with a score of 22/4 after just six overs of the game. The first innings ended on a high note for the Indian team, getting England all out in 17.1 overs with a total score of 68 runs. Although Shafali Verma’s early wicket raised some concerns, batters Soumya Tiwari (24*) and Gongadi Trisha (24*) displayed a brilliant cricketing partnership to get the team through to a fabulous victory at the Senwes Park stadium in South Africa. 

“The way all the girls are performing and backing each other, I am so happy. Incredible feeling. Thanks to the staff, the way they have been backing us every day and telling us that we are here for the cup and it is because of them that we are here. All thanks to them. The players have been backing me a lot. Thanks to BCCI for giving me this beautiful team and we are really happy for winning the cup,” the skipper said. The experience was a combination of excitement, pride, and joy. 
And we couldn’t be more overjoyed—and neither could the nation. From Indian vice captain Smriti Mandhana and the all-time favourite Sachin Tendulkar, to Anushka Sharma and Kareena Kapoor, celebrities, cricketers and leaders took to social media to rejoice the win and express the immense pride they felt, making Instagram and Twitter a splash of blue. 

Mere hours after the win, the BCCI announced cash reward of nearly five crore rupees for the team and support staff. In a statement to the press, BCCI secretary Jay Shah said, "The India U-19 Women's team has done the entire country proud by their stupendous success at the ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup. The Shafali Verma-led unit showed tremendous skill and grit to overcome the challenges and blazed their way to glory. The BCCI has always valued age-group cricket and the title triumph is another sign that women's cricket in India is thriving.” 

A few months ago, in October 2022, the BCCI (Board of Cricket Control India), in a historic decision,  announced equal pay to male and female cricketers for the games and tournaments played by each. We’re more than pleased with these recent developments for women and sports and can only hope, celebrate, and cheer for all the wins, progress and growth that is yet to be witnessed and experienced!