Shantha Rangaswamy’s legacy in Indian cricket is beyond comparison. The first woman to captain India, the first recipient of the Arjuna Award in women’s cricket (1976), and the first Indian woman to register a Test century, her story is stitched into the very fabric of the game. As India prepares to host the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup, Rangaswamy reflects on the present squad, the weight of expectations, and the echoes of her pioneering journey.
India’s form since the last World Cup has been striking: 24 wins in 35 ODIs. The only blemishes have come six times against Australia, and once each against Bangladesh, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, and England. Rangaswamy puts that rivalry in sharp focus, “Australia’s domination has been there for a long time.” But she believes India is the one team capable of denting that empire. “But if there is any challenge to that, then it is India.”
The combination of recent form and home advantage gives her optimism, “India is definitely among the top two teams. And the home advantage will be there. Hopefully, we will see India winning its first World Cup.”
India A’s success in Australia and the senior team’s victories in England highlight the team’s rising authority in 50-over cricket. Rangaswamy doesn’t hesitate to declare ODIs as India’s true calling card, “Indian women are doing exceedingly well in the one-dayers, both the Indian team in England and the India A team in Australia (won the series).”
She draws a contrast with the shorter format. “T20 is one area where we can say we are perhaps not the frontrunners, but one of the frontrunners.” And she underscores India’s status in ODIs, “In one-day, I can definitely say we are the frontrunners.”
Among the squad decisions, none generated more discussion than the exclusion of Shafali Verma. Once the face of fearless batting, her numbers have dwindled. Since the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand, she has scored only 277 runs in 14 innings. On the India A tour of Australia, she managed just 3, 3, and 41 in the One Day games.
In her place, selectors have turned to Pratika Rawal, who has compiled 703 runs in 14 ODIs and forced her way into the top order.
Rangaswamy, herself a former chair of selectors for both BCCI and Karnataka, knows the inevitability of such calls, “They (selection panel) have done a good job. I was the chairman of selectors for the BCCI, and I was the chairman for a long stint for Karnataka. You pick 15, there will be 100 others not liking it. There will always be someone not happy with it.”
And on Shafali’s path back, “Yes, Shafali (Verma) is out, she has been given chances. With better performances, she may come back because age is in her favour.”
For the first time in two decades, India will play a World Cup without Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, the pair who carried India to the 2005 and 2017 finals. The stage now belongs to captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, and a new core of match-winners, backed by home crowds and history at their doorstep.
And Rangaswamy, with the quiet authority of a pioneer, reminds us of what can never be erased, “No one can take away the pride, we are the pioneers.”
The campaign begins on September 30 in Bengaluru against Sri Lanka, after a preparatory stretch that includes a three-match ODI series against Australia starting September 14, followed by warm-ups versus England (September 25) and New Zealand (September 27).
This World Cup isn’t just about lifting a trophy. It is about completing a journey that began when Rangaswamy and her peers played for little more than love of the game. Today’s team carries that legacy — and the chance to turn decades of near-misses into a golden chapter.
(Quotes sourced from Rev Sportz)
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