What couldn’t be achieved in 16 long years in lifting the IPL Trophy by a group of men, some considered legends of the game, was settled in only their second outing by the spirited, undaunted, never-say-die Smriti Mandhana led band of valiant RCB women ! All the matches went down to the wire, but RCB managed to extricate themselves from impossibly lost situations and unbelievable positions to several remarkable victories !
While we watched all the thrilling encounters, it was theabsolutely magnificent looking Aussie all rounder, Elysee Perry for RCB who dominated the show in the last three matches taking on the fancied MI team single handedly in two games, before playing the sheet anchor in the Finals. It was exhilarating all round cricket at its best, but also brought back nostalgic fan moments and memories of our school days of 1960s.
Having been allowed to study in La Mart Girls, Lucknow (it was co-ed in those days up Class IV ) we would look up to the top performers on the track and field events with admiration & awe. A marquee event was the Swimming Competitions that were held between the sister institutions of La Mart Lko & Calcutta. What remains in my memory are the highlights of those contests that had the super show by the famous Nafisa Ali, then called the ‘Golden Girl’ not only for gorgeous looks but for her amazing skills as an ace swimmer who walked away with all the medals and the applause.
Back to WPL, amazing performances of Elysee Perry and Richa Ghosh with the bat and the artful web spun by the RCB spinners on the opposition, held us all spell bound and have raised the bar for women’s cricket. For Smriti Mandhana, victorious Captain who held her nerve and has led RCB with aplomb, it’s validation of her huge potential not only as an elegant batter but as a most promising leader.
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