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Correspondent

23 August 2024 at 4:29:04 pm

Queens Ascendant

Indian cricket has lived with an odd imbalance for decades. It has always been the men’s team that has commanded the money, the headlines and the expectations while women cricketers were expected merely to improve. Now, with their phenomenal Test win over England at Lord’s, it is the women who have reminded India what Test cricket looks like when played with ambition, discipline and nerve. The Indian women overwhelmed the English side by inflicting a crushing 270-run victory, dismissing...

Queens Ascendant

Indian cricket has lived with an odd imbalance for decades. It has always been the men’s team that has commanded the money, the headlines and the expectations while women cricketers were expected merely to improve. Now, with their phenomenal Test win over England at Lord’s, it is the women who have reminded India what Test cricket looks like when played with ambition, discipline and nerve. The Indian women overwhelmed the English side by inflicting a crushing 270-run victory, dismissing England for just 186 in their second innings and securing India’s first-ever women’s Test triumph. It was a victory rich in symbolism and richer still in substance. Yastika Bhatia produced an innings for the ages, scoring a majestic 113 to become the first woman ever to register a Test century at Lord’s. Her innings, composed with uncommon patience and authority, earned a deserved place on the Lord’s Honours Board. Debutant Kranti Gaud announced herself with a five-wicket haul that also secured immortality on the same board, while Richa Ghosh’s enterprising half-century accelerated India’s declaration and placed the match irretrievably beyond England's reach. But numbers alone tell only part of the story. Setting England an improbable target of 457, the Indian side attacked with conviction as the pace bowlers ripped through England’s top order, while the spinners maintained relentless pressure. Even England’s brief resistance through Amy Jones and Mady Villiers merely delayed the inevitable. The contrast with the Indian men’s team could scarcely be sharper. In recent months, the men’s side has looked increasingly uncertain in the format that once defined Indian cricket’s rise. Consecutive Test defeats against New Zealand and South Africa in 2024 and 2025 respectively exposed the rot at the edifice of Indian men’s cricket. The latest humiliation, a T20 defeat to Ireland, only reinforced the uncomfortable impression that Indian men’s cricket is suffering from the complacency that often accompanies abundance. Lucrative franchise contracts and cricket’s vast commercial ecosystem have insulated players from the consequences of failure. Unlike their male counterparts, India’s women have built their success with a fraction of the financial rewards, public attention and playing opportunities. Test matches remain rare and sponsorships remain comparatively modest. Yet scarcity has bred something that abundance sometimes cannot: hunger. Harmanpreet Kaur’s side arrived at Lord’s without the burden of celebrity but with an abundance of purpose. Their historic victory was built not on flashes of brilliance alone but on qualities that have always defined great Test sides, namely discipline and collective purpose. Genuine respect in cricket still depends upon performances in the longest format. The Indian women’s team has claimed not merely a famous win but a place in cricket’s enduring narrative. At Lord’s, India’s women reminded the world how champions are made. The men would be wise to take notes.

Omar welcomes Indus Water Treaty suspension, calls it “most unfair document” for J&K



SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday welcomed the Central government’s decision to suspend the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan following the deadly Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives. He also referred to the treaty as the “most unfair document” for the people of J&K.


“The Government of India has taken some steps. As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, let’s be honest. We have never been in favour of the Indus Waters Treaty. We have always believed it to be the most unfair document to people of J&K,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar after meeting representatives from the tourism, trade, and industry sectors. However, he noted that the long-term impact of this move is still uncertain.


The IWT suspension is part of India’s response to the brutal attack. Other actions include expelling Pakistani military attaches and shutting down the Attari land-transit point immediately.


When questioned about the impact of the April 22 attack on the region’s tourism industry, Abdullah dismissed concerns about monetary losses. “At this juncture, we are not counting rupees or paisa. Not one of the businessmen or stakeholders in the tourism industry who attended the meeting lamented the loss of business. Not one of them expressed any concern about what would happen to them.”


“Right now, our priority is to express solidarity with the bereaved,” he said, adding, “At some point in future, we may sit down to discuss the financial implications (of the attack) on J&K’s economy. But not a single stakeholder present in the meeting raised a demand for monetary relief for the losses they are suffering.”


Omar described the tourist exodus from J&K after the massacre as “heartbreaking”. The future of the Valley’s tourism sector remains uncertain, with widespread trip cancellations following the attack.

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