As Jhulan Goswami & Co head to Australia for the Women’s World Cup, they’re carrying the hopes of a fraternity fighting to get noticed, writes our correspondent
The influence of women on what is popularly referred to as the ‘gentleman’s game’ goes back to the mid-18th century, even though the first county match wasn’t played until 1811 between Surrey and Hampshire. It is a woman, Christine Willes, who is credited with having invented over-arm bowling around that time — funnily enough to avoid tangles with her long skirts, which were in vogue back then.

The first international women’s contest, involving England and Australia, took place in 1934 in Brisbane. But it was on October 31, 1976 that 11 Indian women, led by Shantha Rangaswamy, strode onto the centre at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore to play a sport which had by then become a craze in the country because of their male counterparts.
The three-day Test against the touring West Indian team, which ended in a draw, was the first international outing for the Indian women, and leg-spinner Shubanghi Kulkarni ensured that it was a memorable one, finishing with figures of 5-48. Behroze Edulji opened the bowling, and was part of a famous sister-act with her more illustrious sibling, Diana.

“We were always passionate about our sport but there was a huge shortage of facilities. And despite the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI), we were spending out of our own pockets most of the time, even for organising national tournaments,” Behroze says.

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