Follow Us42 years ago, the landscape of cricket in India changed forever when the Indian Men’s side lifted the 1983 World Cup title.
By then, cricket was already a very popular sport in the country but the Indian team’s victory in 1983 meant that there was a revolution of sorts overnight, with the popularity of the sport hitting levels nobody thought was imaginable.
The commercial impact of the 1983 World Cup win was seismic too, and the victory meant that Indian cricket changed forever for the better.
A home World Cup awaits the Indian Women’s team this time around, and the legendary Sachin Tendulkar believes the 2025 50-over World Cup could be for the Women what 1983 was for the Men.
"Just as 1983 gave Indian cricket a new identity, I believe this World Cup can do the same for women’s cricket in India,” Sachin wrote in his column for the ICC.
“They will not just be representing India in a sporting contest. They will be carrying with them the hopes of millions, the possibility of inspiring a generation, and the power to redefine what is achievable.
“That win told an entire generation of young Indians that dreams need not be constrained by boundaries.
“The stories from that campaign, like Kapil paaji’s legendary 175 against Zimbabwe - a knock that might not have been televised but is immortalized, are etched in our memory as folklore.”
Sachin wrote that Women’s Cricket in the country is in the cusp of a watershed moment, and he asserted how the forthcoming World Cup will inspire millions of kids to take up the sport.
"Standing on the sidelines that day, watching heroes up close, I resolved that one day I too would wear that India jersey,” Sachin wrote, recollecting the story of him watching the 1987 World Cup.
“Now, nearly four decades later, I sense that women’s cricket in India stands on the cusp of its own watershed moment. The upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup will not just be about chasing a trophy; it will be about igniting countless dreams.
“Somewhere in Moga, a teenage girl might be clutching her bat tighter, hoping to emulate her idol Harmanpreet Kaur. In Sangli, another girl might be practicing her drives, daring to dream like Smriti Mandhana.”
India kick-start the home World Cup campaign later today (September 30) against Sri Lanka at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati. They were the runners-up in the mega event two editions ago in 2017, and would be hoping to go all the way this time around.