Ganguly's old comments on women's cricket spark uproar after India's World Cup triumph: 'Women are not required...'

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.

Also Read | Unsung architects who built India’s Women’s World Cup triumph

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.

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“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.

What if Sana(his daughter) wishes to play cricket?

"I'll tell her not to because women are not required to play cricket." https://t.co/BouIb5Q9Hx pic.twitter.com/dBIAmRFM4z

— R (@CrimsonScalpel) November 3, 2025

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Here are some of the reactions to Ganguly’s controversial remark:

Have some goddamn dignity, you spineless hypocrite. When women’s cricket in India desperately needed support, you spewed your sexist garbage: “Women shouldn’t play cricket; men and women are born for different things, and your daughter should stick to dance or some other…

— Kabya Basu (@kabyabasu) November 4, 2025

Glory Hunter bengali nikal girls don't need your congratulations..greg chappel was always right pic.twitter.com/UGZlI1nF9U

— Archer (@poserarcher) November 4, 2025

Reporter: What if your daughter Sana wants to play cricket?

Sourav Ganguly: I won’t let her. Women shouldn’t play cricket.

And that’s where he fell from legend to ordinary! 🤡 Real icons lift women up, not limit them sir @SGanguly99 pic.twitter.com/9Vr8AfvsJR

— Bloody Media (@bloody_media) November 4, 2025

What a fall from grace !
It's true that idols crack when you get to know their real selves.
Ganguly post retirement is a close second behind Sachin.

— Rahul John (@kinked_wire) November 3, 2025

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.