One For All and All For One

For long, the Indian women's team leaned heavily on individual brilliance. In this World Cup, like Kapil's Devils in '83, each member stepped into an arc of inspired performances

- By Nikhil Naz

IT took 11 attempts, but the Indian women's cricket team are finally world champions. And make no mistake—this wasn't destiny, nor a stroke of luck. It was the culmination of a system that has been building, brick by brick: the skyrocketing popularity of the women's game, the Women's Premier League, pay parity and the unflinching backing of the BCCI. But there was one factor—subtle on the surface yet seismic beneath— that perhaps mattered most of all: team architecture. Not a new-wave innovation, but the return of an age-old blueprint for sporting success. Michael Jordan, six-time NBA champion and eternal sporting deity, summed it up best: "Talent wins games, teamwork wins championships." Teamwork, true teamwork, goes