 "Sourav Ganguly was among those who had congratulated the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian team for winning the ICC Women's World Cup with a 52-run victory over South Africa in the final. Image credit: AFP/AP")
The Indian cricket community exploded with joy after Harmanpreet Kaur and Co made history by winning the ICC Women’s World Cup on home soil with a 52-run victory over South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
The Women in Blue, after all, had won their maiden ICC title in any format, producing a comeback for the ages after losing three matches on the trot and going on to defeat Australia and South Africa in the semi-final and final respectively.
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And those congratulating Harmanpreet and company for becoming the first Asian team to win an ICC title was former India men’s captain Sourav Ganguly.
“What an achievement by the girls .. they have come a long way in the last 6 yrs . So proud of them ..world champions,” ‘Dada’ had written in a post on X in the early hours of Monday, shortly after India’s triumph.
Ganguly in trouble over comment on women’s cricket
No sooner did Ganguly post the congratulatory message on X than an old comment of his went viral on social media, one that has put the spotlight on the batting icon for the wrong reasons. Ganguly, after all, had remarked that “women are not required to play cricket” in a conversation with Bangla news channel ABP Ananda.
In the clip, which dates back to November 2013, Ganguly was asked about his daughter Sana’s ambitions of playing cricket while discussing Sachin Tendulkar’s son Arjun and the pressure that he has had to deal with in his journey towards becoming a cricketer.
“I’ll tell her not to because women are not required to play cricket,” Ganguly told the show host in response.
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View AllHere are some of the reactions to Ganguly’s controversial remark:
Ganguly, who had served as President of the BCCI in the past and currently heads the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), isn’t the only senior figure in Indian cricket to land in trouble over his controversial remarks on women’s cricket.
Former BCCI chief and ICC chairman N Srinivasan has also drawn flak for his stance on the women’s game. Ex-India women’s captain and administrator Diana Edulji had claimed at an event organised by The Indian Express in 2017 that Srinivasan told her he “wouldn’t let women’s cricket happen” if he had his way during his tenure as BCCI president.