Women's World Cup: Mithali and Co. cash in on stellar performance

Mithali Raj, who spearheaded India's campaign with 409 runs from nine matches including three fifties and one century, will be presented with a BMW car by V. Chamundeswaranath, former junior national selection committee chairman and now vice-president of Telangana Badminton Association (TBA).

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI ) on Saturday announced a cash prize of Rs. 50 lakh for each member of the women's team. 

It may have come up short in the finals , but India's spellbinding success at this year's ICC Women's World Cup will forever change the way women's cricket is perceived in the country. 

Acknowledging the stellar performance by India, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI ) on Saturday announced a cash prize of Rs. 50 lakh for each member of the women's team.

But the buck doesn't stop there. Raj, who spearheaded India's campaign with 409 runs from nine matches including three fifties and one century, will be presented with a BMW car by V. Chamundeswaranath, former junior national selection committee chairman and now vice-president of Telangana Badminton Association (TBA).

Meanwhile, R.S.R. Murthy, Raj's mentor-cum-coach from South Central Railway, informed that the Indian Railways has decided in principle to give out of turn promotion to all the 10 members of the current Indian team who are on their rolls on reaching the World Cup final.

Sharing the spoils with her Captain is the swashbuckling middle-order batter Harmanpreet Kaur, who blazed a trail at the World Cup with her record breaking 171 in the semi-final against Australia. The 28-year-old allrounder from Punjab has been offered the post of the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Punjab Police by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

Earlier, she was awarded a cash prize of Rs. 5 lakh for her breathtaking knock against Australia.  Meanwhile, the Madhya Pradesh government has also announced a cash reward of Rs. 50 lakh for the entire team.

The Himachal Pradesh government has offered the post of DSP to Indian women’s cricket team wicketkeeper Sushma Verma. In a statement released, the Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said, “Being proud of her achievement in the international cricket arena the state government has offered the post of deputy superintendent to Sushma Verma.”

Until 2005 when India played its first women's world cup final, it was still functioning under the aegis of the Women's Cricket Association of India - an organisation formed in 1973.

Since then, women's cricket has made rapid strides. And with the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana making their presence felt in Australia's Women's Big Bash League, women's game in India has shattered the glass ceiling. The swelling praise - monetary and otherwise - are an affirmation of that.