Follow UsFormer India Women’s batter Punam Raut, who came agonisingly close to winning the 2017 World Cup before India fell short against England in the final, said all the bullying and misogynistic jokes will now stop after the Women in Blue lifted their maiden ICC Women’s ODI World Cup trophy, defeating South Africa by 52 runs in the final on November 2 (Sunday).
After India created history at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, captain Harmanpreet Kaur shared a photo of herself lying on a bed with the trophy. The quote on the back of her T-shirt read: “Cricket is a gentleman’s EVERYONE’S game” - with the word “gentleman’s” struck out. Speaking to the Times of India, Raut - who had scored a fighting 86 off 115 balls in the 2017 final - was emotional while recalling her journey.
"I am very happy and emotional. I couldn’t control my tears. Many, many congratulations to this team. We have proved it — the answer has been conveyed. When I started playing cricket, I experienced bullying. I was bullied by boys. I told them I knew how to play cricket, but they mocked me. They said girls can’t play cricket. I didn’t like what they said. I was young, I was angry, but I couldn’t express it at that time. When they said that, it hit me badly.
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"How can they say that? That’s what I always asked myself. After that, we decided — one day, the whole world will know that girls can also play cricket. And somewhere, Harmanpreet Kaur must have experienced the same. I remember we both debuted in the same World Cup, in 2009. We had the same journey, the same age. I am sure Harmanpreet must have gone through the same experiences. That’s why she wrote, ‘It’s not only a gentleman’s game. It’s everyone’s game.’
"What Harmanpreet said - she was right. It was the goal of the team. Even in 2017, we played for that - for all those girls whose parents were restricting them. It is very important to change that mindset. And when a World Cup stage comes in front of you, that’s the opportunity to do something. She is right, and she has brought a big change in Indian women’s cricket."
Raut admitted that the pain of the 2017 heartbreak stayed with her for years but credited Harmanpreet’s team for finally healing that wound. "The last time we lost the trophy by 9 runs. That is a wound that hasn’t healed yet. We should have scored those 9 runs. It was going on in my mind for a long time. But Harmanpreet has done it. That bad memory has finally faded away. That defeat haunted me and all of us for nine years.”
She also reserved special praise for Shafali Verma, who was a late inclusion in the World Cup squad after the in-form opener Pratika Rawal suffered an injury during the last league game against Bangladesh. Despite a low score in the semi-final against Australia, Shafali rose to the occasion in the final, smashing a 78-ball 87 and taking two key wickets in the second innings.
"What Shafali said - that God has sent me here - she was absolutely right. Because all these things are written in your destiny. Who knew that Shafali Verma would be part of a World Cup-winning team? No one knew. But it all happened. God is great. That girl showed so much maturity at such a young age - to walk into such big games, to play directly in a World Cup semi-final - it’s incredible. It’s not easy at all," Raut said.
"Pratika was in superb form but got injured. Of course, it was a shock for the team. The way Shafali Verma came back and played - that was special. She couldn’t score many runs in the semi-final, couldn’t get off to a good start. But to come back strong in the final - that’s a really big thing. She handled the pressure very well.
"In this team, you can see something different - from youngsters to experienced players, everyone’s confidence level was sky high. It was God’s plan. Pratika believed she would bowl and take wickets - and Harmanpreet made her bowl. That was incredible.”
Reflecting on what makes this World Cup-winning side stand apart from the 2017 runners-up, Raut said the maturity, unity, and exposure of the current generation made a massive difference. "I can see the confidence level in this team. It’s the unity — they back each other. There’s maturity in the players. Everyone is young, but they show so much maturity. They know how to support one another. The confidence level in this team was different - the eagerness was visible.
"But some things didn’t click that time (in 2017). This time, the team has learned from that experience. Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, even Deepti Sharma - they were all part of that World Cup in 2017. So of course, they must have shared those experiences, and that must have helped the entire team.
"When we played the final in 2017, almost nine players were playing a World Cup final for the first time. But here, the experience was far greater because of the WPL. There were so many matches, and when you get to perform on such a big stage - especially alongside Australians and other international legends - that exposure builds belief. Because of the WPL, the confidence level of the players has increased. That’s what made the difference in this World Cup.”