Diana Edulji. Shantha Rangaswamy. Sandhya Agarwal. Shubhangi Kulkarni. Neetu David.

Can you recognise them?

Names that once floated quietly in the margins of Indian sport — rarely written in headlines, never roared in stadiums. These were the women who wore India’s colours long before the world was ready to watch them.

They travelled in unreserved train compartments , stitched together their own kits, and played cricket not for fame or fortune, but for love — a stubborn, enduring love for a game that gave little back.

Back then, there were no packed stadiums, no live broadcasts, no hashtags. The 1978 Women’s World Cup — hosted by India — unfolded quietly, almost invisibly. The men’s team hadn’t even played their first World Cup yet. But the women were already there, laying down tracks

See Full Page