“The men had never progressed…” - Sunil Gavaskar explains why India's Women's WC win cannot be compared to 1983 WC win

Former Indian cricketer and commentator Sunil Gavaskar has emphasized that while the Women’s World Cup victory will change the complexion of women’s cricket in India, it can’t be compared to the 1983 World Cup win under Kapil Dev.

Writing his column for Sportstar, Gavaskar also asserted that the men’s team hadn’t progressed beyond the group stage in earlier editions, while the women’s team had a better record, having made it to the final on two previous instances.

While the Indian women’s team made it to the grand finale in 2005 against Australia, they later advanced to the final in 2017 against England, losing on both occasions. However, on the third occasion, they managed to defeat South Africa in 2025. 

“There were some who tried to compare this win with the men’s team winning the World Cup in 1983. The men had never progressed beyond the group stage in earlier editions, and so everything from the knockout stage onward was new to them, while the women already had a better record, having been in two finals before this magnificent triumph," Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

Furthermore, he went on to write that many parents of budding cricketers will let their children take up the sport, which is one of the similarities between the 1983 World Cup and 2025 World Cup victories.

“Just as the ’83 win galvanised Indian cricket and gave it a voice that was heard around the world, this victory will make the countries that started women’s cricket long before India did realise that their era of domination has been shaken. The ’83 win also encouraged parents of aspiring cricketers to let their children take up the game," Gavaskar went on to add.

Notably, BCCI announced a whopping INR 51 Crore prize money for the Indian women’s team, while the ICC rewarded the team with INR 40 Crore.

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