Batwoman

Women have gatecrashed a stag party, smashing their way through the sexist walls of bias and invisibility to live their cricket dreams, no more in the margins but in the spotlight

- Minal Tomar

EVERY time Harmanpreet Kaur, the 36-year-old all-rounder from Moga, Punjab, steps into her chosen battleground—the cricket ground—she enters and stakes claim to a space created for men, by men, with language that excludes the Indian skipper and the team she leads solely because of their feminine gender. Long known as a gentleman’s—as opposed to a “ladies”—game, cricket traditions have carried deep-rooted sexism: for instance, the best player was awarded as “man of the match”, batters were called “batsmen” and a fielding position was named “third man” instead of, simply, third, as it is called today.

“Witnessing women’s cricket reach new heights in India is truly empowering,” says Harmanpreet, whose journey in international cricket began in 2009. “Opportunities came later to us than to men’s cricket, but things are definitely getting better. The struggle has been worth it, and I am grateful if I have contributed to this positive change.”

The journey of the women who preceded Harmanpreet had challenged every unwritten rule of male dominance in the sport. Women playing cricket was quiet defiance in motion, a revolution wrapped in resilience. Slowly but surely, the gentleman’s game became the forte of fierce and fearless women who made the game their own with panache and elan. From the 2017 World Cup final to the 2020 T20 World Cup and a 2022 Commonwealth silver, and then a gold at the 2023 Asian Games, Harmanpreet has been central to India's success. Having played under legends like Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj before becoming captain, Harmanpreet recalls the early years as “tough”. “We used to play very few matches, struggled financially and lacked proper facilities. Yet, no one gave up, for our passion kept us going. As infrastructure improved and more tournaments emerged, new talent stepped in.”