New Delhi, Nov 5 (IANS) Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif observed that India’s ODI World Cup victory will motivate many current and emerging players, not only from their own country but also from nations like Pakistan, to excel and earn accolades.

He highlighted how numerous girls around the world face restrictions from their families and are barred from pursuing sport, noting that India’s historic win will contribute to improving that situation.

Team India beat South Africa by 52 wickets in the final of the tournament on Sunday night at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai as Harmanpreet Kaur led her side to a memorable first in the sport’s history.

“With the capacity that the BCCI has, they’ll be able to make it even grander. It was an outstanding display by the Indian women. Congratulations from our side. The more support the women’s game gets, the better it will be. Pakistan’s situation is difficult right now; many girls face restrictions from their families. It might happen in India too in some places, but this victory will help improve that situation,” Latid told IANS.

He also congratulated the Indian women’s team for their victory at the recently concluded ODI World Cup and lauded their efforts to script history and bring about a change in the women’s cricket circuit in the country.

“It’s a huge win, and coincidentally, the timing was such that I got to watch it live. It’s a big victory for India because men’s cricket has always dominated the spotlight. Now, even the big names were watching and were present there — Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, both massive stars. This will help in bringing Indian women’s cricket onto a larger canvas. This is just the beginning. They’ve won the World Cup, but now they’ll have to achieve even bigger things. It shouldn’t be a one-off success,” he added.

Latif also spoke in detail about India’s semi-final win against Australia and went on to laud Richa Ghosh for her powerful hits, dubbing her as a match winner for India. He also praised Deepti Sharma for her five-wicket haul in the final, saying that her spell under pressure and the all-rounder’s ability to pick wickets and break crucial partnerships were the key behind the team’s World Cup win.

“It was a brilliant record-chase. Earlier, Australia had set a record against India, and then India broke that record against Australia. The opening combination was perfect. Richa Ghosh was very powerful — she played a couple of short but impactful innings that completely changed the course of the game. Some innings may be short, but the players who play them are big stars. She helped the team win matches. Australia has had a monopoly on winning matches, and it’s after a long time that they’ve lost one.

“Deepti bowled exceptionally well and took five wickets. She broke a key partnership, which brought India back into the game. South Africa’s partnership was building, but Deepti took wickets at the right time, and from there, India made a comeback, won the match, and won by a huge margin,” he added.

–IANS

vi/