"Growing up in rural India, Shafali Verma always knew she had a hunger to play cricket. But in her small town of Rohtak, in the north Indian state of Haryana, cricket was not a game for girls. Aged nine, desperate to play, she cut her hair short, entered a tournament disguised as her brother, and went on to win man of the match."
"Verma's determined father, Sanjeev, in the face of refusal from every cricket academy or training centre who would not accept his daughter, enrolled her as a boy. Luckily, nobody noticed, he recalled, as Verma made her debut for the national women's team at 15 years old. On Sunday, Verma stood triumphantly with her teammates as they held aloft the Women's Cricket World Cup, making history as the first Indian women's national team to win the cup and for equality."
Shafali Verma grew up in rural Rohtak, Haryana, and disguised herself as her brother at age nine to play cricket, winning man of the match. Her father enrolled her as a boy after academies refused, and she debuted for the national women's team at 15. The Indian women's team won the Women's Cricket World Cup, marking a breakthrough for equality after long struggles, stigma, and limited resources. Women's cricket in India gained full-time contracts in 2017 and a women's premier league in 2023. Players from conservative villages reported changing local attitudes as communities watched the World Cup final.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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