- Nasima Akter
India Men's Team and Others Celebrate U-19 Women's WC Victory
The Indian U-19 Women’s Team has won the first U-19 Women’s T20 World Cup, beating England by 7 wickets in the final. As the first Indian women’s team to win a World Cup title, there was an outpour of congratulatory messages from various people.
Among the well-wishers was the Indian men’s senior team. The team had made a video, which was posted by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) Twitter, and it featured the team congratulating the young girls on their historic triumph. Head coach Rahul Dravid also asked Prithvi Shaw to send a message to the U-19 girls.
“Today was a landmark day for the Indian Women’s U 19 team and we had a fantastic day. I would like to pass it onto a winning U 19 boys captain to pass on a message to the young girls," Rahul Dravid said.
In response, Prithvi Shaw said, “I think it’s a great achievement. Everyone wants to congratulate the U-19 women’s team. So congratulations, well done, congrats.”
Aside from a video from the Indian men’s senior team, there was a flood of messages from prominent cricket figures on social media. One of them was former India captain, Mithali Raj, who led India to two World Cup finals, including one in South Africa in 2005. In her message, she reminded the players to treasure every moment.
Another prominent figure who congratulated the team was Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He, President Droupadi Murmu and other political figures commended the team and said, ’India's daughters have created history and won the hearts of the country.’
“They have played excellent cricket and their success will inspire several upcoming cricketers. Best wishes to the team for their future endeavours,” tweets PM Modi.
Jay Shah, the BCCI Secretary, was also quick to share a message of congratulation to the victorious side. He even shared plans for a celebration in Ahmedabad.
Aside from these political figures, Indian cricket stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli shared their congratulatory messages on Twitter. In Sharma’s post, it read: “Big congratulations to the U-19 girls cricket team for winning the World Cup. Well done on making the nation proud #JaiHind @bcciwomen @bcci.” Kohli, meanwhile, commended the special moment and congratulated the girls on their triumph.
More than congratulatory messages, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a cash reward for the Women In Blue. The Indian U-19 team and support staff will receive a cash reward of INR 5 crore for winning India's maiden ICC title in women's cricket.
In one statement Jay Shah said, "The India U-19 Women's team has done the entire country proud with their spectacular 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."
During the match, India had to chase a score of 69. Thanks to a 46-run partnership by Soumya Tiwari (24 not out) and Gongadi Trisha (24), the team reached their winning score in 14 overs. Gongadi Trisha and skipper Shafali Verma also contributed to the win with 24 and 15 runs, respectively.
