A game such as cricket can change our society, and this is surely the case for girls and young women growing up in India.
The Indian women’s cricket team won their first World Cup, playing to a sold-out suburban Mumbai stadium of 45,000-seat capacity and drawing over 300 million views online.
Can you imagine how many girls are now dreaming of a sporting future?
In India, this win means women’s cricket is now standing on its own merit, and there will be millions of young women turning up to play the game – which in itself is a social change.
Advertising and sponsorships will flood in for this team.
But the powerful BCCI, India’s cricket governing body, must increase women’s tournaments so they have more game time and add Women’s Premier League teams to absorb new talent. Demand for local coaching and equipment will explode – and the BCCI needs to step up.
Change from the BCCI has been slow – for example, this week the board announced a bonus of 510 million rupees for the women’s team, less than half the 1.25 billion rupees it gave to the men’s team when they won the T20 World Cup last year.
They cannot ignore the level of “love of the game” among Indian women and cricket fans around the world.
Let’s hope for an India vs Australia final for the next women’s world cup!
Author: Stephen Manallack
Former President, Australia India Business Council, Victoria and Author, You Can Communicate; Riding the Elephant; Soft Skills for a Flat World (published by Tata McGraw-Hill INDIA); Communicating Your Personal Brand.
Director, EastWest Academy Pty Ltd and Trainer/Speaker/Mentor in Leadership, Communication and Cross Cultural Communication.
Passionate campaigner for closer western relations with India.
Stephen Manallack is a specialist on “Doing Business with India” and advisor/trainer on “Cross-Cultural Understanding”. He is a Director of EastWest Academy Pty Ltd which provides strategic advice and counsel regarding business relations with India.
A regular speaker in India on leadership and global communication, his most recent speaking tour included a speech to students of the elite Indian university, Amity University, in Noida. He also spoke at a major Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) global summit, the PR Consultants Association of India in Delhi, the Symbiosis University in Pune and Cross-Cultural Training for Sundaram Business Services in Chennai. He has visited India on business missions on 10 occasions and led three major trade missions there. He provides cross-cultural training – Asia and the west.
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Into India 
Well done, my friend Stephen. This is a powerful and timely piece that beautifully captures how sport—especially women’s cricket—can catalyse lasting social change in India. Your long association with India clearly shows in the nuance, celebrating progress while constructively challenging institutions like the BCCI to do better. Few writers combine genuine affection for India with such clarity, balance, and credibility. Articles like this inspire young girls, families, policymakers, and sponsors alike, and reinforce why your voice on India–Australia and social impact matters so much.
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