Copyright The New York Times
Indian women and ‘the gentlemen’s game’ It has been the highest, hardest glass ceiling in Indian sports. Cricket is watched or played in almost every household in this country of 1.4 billion people. The sport generates hundreds of millions of dollars in business every year. But up until recently, the spotlight, and the accompanying wealth, was mostly reserved for men. Then, on Sunday, India’s national women’s cricket team won the World Cup. The Mumbai stadium, packed with 40,000 fans, erupted in loud cheers. People poured onto the streets across the country in celebration. A World Cup victory four decades ago helped transform the men’s game, turning it from a casual pastime into a national obsession. If this weekend’s win is similarly transformative for the women’s game, it could have real impact on the lives of women and girls across the country. Higher pay and endorsement deals Today, male cricketers are among India’s most revered celebrities. They’re faces on billboards, and permanent fixtures in TV ads. Some are even more popular than Bollywood stars.
