Tracing India’s sporting trajectory since Independence in 1947 is incomplete without leafing across the chapters on women who defied all odds to make their mark in a field that is still is largely male-dominated. As we look to the future, stories of some trailblazing sportswomen, in no particular order, are inspiring girls across the country who aspire to take up sports.
Rani Rampal and the Indian hockey team.
The performance of the women’s hockey team at the Tokyo Olympics had many comparing their story to the film ‘Chak De India’ but captain Rani Rampal and her team have written their own story in golden colours. From not winning a single match in 2016 Rio Olympics to becoming the first Indian hockey women’s team to be competing for a medal in the Olympics, theirs is the ultimate underdog story. Also, being a women’s team in a sport that is not cricket is fraught with fouls of its own.
Mithali Raj and the Indian cricket team
Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami play a sport that is almost a religion in India but that doesn’t make it any easy for them. The two senior cricketers have built and groomed a team that now boasts of young talent like Smriti Mandhana, Shefali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues to name a few. All the while fighting for equity of pay and exposure --- only to be told that they need to do well like the men’s team to get what they want. Mithali has the highest runs and caps in women’s international cricket. She is only the second cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar to play ODIs for 22 years. The Women in Blue reached ICC World Cup finals in 2005 and 2017, they reached the finals of T20 World Cup in 2020.
MC Mary Kom
When Serena Williams returned to court after giving birth there was a lot of talk about motherhood affecting her form and she could be a mother and a tennis player at the same time. Well, none of these people must have known MC Mary Kom it seems because if they had such questions would never have been asked. The only female boxer to win World Amateur Championships 6 times, the only boxer male or female to win 8 World Championships, the only boxer to win Asian Amateur Championships 6 times. Magnificent Mary also has an Olympic bronze medal, an Asian Games gold medal and a Commonwealth gold medal. Delivering knockout after knockout, Mary has proved that being a sportsperson and being a mother is not an either-or situation nor is it a despite situation --- even before such questions about her could have been raised.
Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza has a lot of firsts to her name as a female tennis player from India. When she played the 2006 Australian Open, she was first female Indian player to be seeded and already had a Wimbledon Girls’ grand slam to her name and yet there was no dearth of people who chose to concentrate on the length of her skirts and dresses. But Mirza sliced all of it with her forehand and is now a winner of 6 grand slam titles and a former world number 1 in doubles.
Saina Nehwal and PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu is now the most decorated female Olympian from India. She won a silver media at the Rio Games in 2016 and then won a bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Games. She is also the first Indian to win a gold at World Badminton Championships and rose to a career-high world ranking of 2 in 2017.
But it wouldn’t be hyperbole to say that it was Saina Nehwal who put the spotlight back on badminton in India. She became the first Indian to win a medal in badminton at the Olympics when she won the bronze medal in the 2012 London Games. She is a former World No.1 – first female Indian player and second overall after Prakash Padukone to get the top ranking.
Archer Deepika Kumari, paddler Manika Batra, young shooter Manu Bhaker have all brought laurels to the country with their performances, all in the light of flame that sporting legends PT Usha and Karnam Malleswari lit years ago.