‘Watershed moment’: 1983 World Cup hero says India must celebrate champions and the leadership behind them

Former India all-rounder and 1983 World Cup winner Roger Binny hailed India’s ICC Women’s World Cup triumph as a reflection of long-term structural investment and visionary leadership within Indian cricket, crediting BCCI Secretary Jay Shah for transforming women’s cricket from “promising to inevitable success.”“India’s triumph at the ICC Women’s World Cup comes at a time when women’s cricket in India is receiving the respect it deserves. And the timing is not a coincidence but the result of appreciating the work and worth of our women cricketers at par with the men,” Binny said.

He described Jay Shah’s leadership as a key driver behind this transformation. “The credit for that goes to Jay Shah’s vision that began with the push for equal match fees in 2022.

A watershed moment, this signalled the beginning of the transformation,” Binny noted.

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The former BCCI president pointed to the board’s sustained investments that followed Shah’s equal-pay policy as pivotal milestones. “This was backed by decisive investment, launching the WPL on robust media rights, reviving red-ball domestic cricket for women, and adding age-group pathways like the U-15 One-Day Trophy,” he said.

Binny said the impact of those initiatives is now visible both on and off the field. “The result is visible today in record audiences, the confidence and enthusiasm of the players, and a pipeline where young girls can dream and plan professional careers in cricket,” he observed.He also praised the BCCI’s focus on professionalism and infrastructure, calling it the foundation of India’s recent dominance. “Jay Shah’s insistence on excellence in everything from scheduling and player welfare to coaching and analytics has moved the needle on women’s cricket from promising to inevitable success,” Binny remarked.

“As we celebrate our champions, we must also acknowledge the leadership that made parity not just a promise, but policy and performance. This is the new normal for Indian cricket—and we’re only getting started,” he concluded.