Former Mumbai women’s captains, along with MCA officials pose with the Women’s World Cup trophy in Mumbai on September 15, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Sulakshana Naik, the two-time ODI World Cupper, hoped that India’s team can withstand the pressure of expectations in the forthcoming Women’s ODI World Cup, to be hosted in India and Sri Lanka from September 30.
“This side is definitely capable of winning the World Cup. The only thing I am worried about is handling the pressure. They shouldn’t take the pressure,” Naik said during the World Cup trophy tour event at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s Sharad Pawar Cricket Academy in Mumbai on Monday (September 15, 2025).
Naik, a member of the BCCI’s Cricket Advisory Committee, recalled the advice she received from 1983 World Cup champion Sandeep Patil during her decade-long international career when she asked him about soaking in the pressure.
“He gave me a simple piece of advice. ‘Get used to it’ is all he said. The men are used to it. They do not care,” said Naik.
The MCA also unveiled a Wall of Fame to honour all the Mumbai women’s captains in the academy premises. Photographs of all the 32 captains so far have been displayed in a bid to inspire promising female cricketers.
Published – September 16, 2025 05:04 am IST
