Shantha Rangaswamy : He is in the news after the release of the trailer of Shabaash Mithu, the biopic of former Indian cricket team captain Mithali Raj. Mithali Raj has always been in the headlines for her excellent performance and captaincy of the team. Not only Mithali Raj, many women players of the Indian cricket team have taken women’s cricket to a different identity and position in the last few years. The performance of women players from Harmanpreet Kaur to Smriti Mandhana, Jhulan Goswami etc. gave women cricket a place at the international level. But do you know who was the first woman captain of India’s women’s cricket team? When was the Indian women’s cricket team formed and how did the first captain lead the team?
Let us know about the life, career and achievements of Shantha Rangaswamy, the first captain of the Indian women’s cricket team.
Biography of Shantha Rangaswamy
Shantha Rangaswamy was born on January 1, 1954. His father’s name was CV Rangaswamy and mother’s name was Rajalakshmi. He has six sisters in his family, of whom Shanta was the third child of his parents. When Shanta was young, she used to play cricket in the courtyard of the house. The family was very big, so all the sisters used to play at home.
Shantha Rangaswamy’s journey to become a player
Later Shanta took part in badminton, softball and many other sports. However, he had a different love for cricket. Growing up his love of cricket, Shantha Rangaswamy started playing club cricket. However, she did not know then that she would ever be a part of the Indian women’s cricket team.
How Shanta became the first woman captain
For the first time in India, the women’s cricket team was selected in the year 1976. The first match of the team of women cricketers was to be against West Indies. When the women players were selected for the Test series, Shantha Rangaswamy was also included in it. The command of the Test team was handed over to all-rounder Shantha Rangaswamy. In this way Shantha Rangaswamy became the first captain of the first Indian women’s cricket team. In this first Test series against West Indies, Shanta defeated 1-0 with aggressive batting and fast bowling.
Career of Shantha Rangaswamy
Shantha Rangaswamy played 16 Test cricket matches for the Indian women’s cricket team from 1976 to 1991. During this she was the captain of the team. In her career spanning 22 years, Shanta achieved achievement in many matches, although women players were not paid much in those days. After hard work, hard work, Shanta achieved achievement in career. She captained the women’s team in about 12 test matches and 15 one-day matches.
Achievements of Shantha Rangaswamy
She was the first woman to receive the Arjuna Award. Shanta scored a century against New Zealand in the Women’s World Cup. She was the first woman to be awarded the BCCI’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Women. The Government of Karnataka also honored him with the Lifetime Achievement Award in the year 2019.
Shantha Rangaswamy : He is in the news after the release of the trailer of Shabaash Mithu, the biopic of former Indian cricket team captain Mithali Raj. Mithali Raj has always been in the headlines for her excellent performance and captaincy of the team. Not only Mithali Raj, many women players of the Indian cricket team have taken women’s cricket to a different identity and position in the last few years. The performance of women players from Harmanpreet Kaur to Smriti Mandhana, Jhulan Goswami etc. gave women cricket a place at the international level. But do you know who was the first woman captain of India’s women’s cricket team? When was the Indian women’s cricket team formed and how did the first captain lead the team? Let us know about the life, career and achievements of Shantha Rangaswamy, the first captain of the Indian women’s cricket team.
Biography of Shantha Rangaswamy
Shantha Rangaswamy was born on January 1, 1954. His father’s name was CV Rangaswamy and mother’s name was Rajalakshmi. He has six sisters in his family, of whom Shanta was the third child of his parents. When Shanta was young, she used to play cricket in the courtyard of the house. The family was very big, so all the sisters used to play at home.
Shantha Rangaswamy’s journey to become a player
Later Shanta took part in badminton, softball and many other sports. Although he had a different love for cricket. Growing up his love of cricket, Shantha Rangaswamy started playing club cricket. However, she did not know then that she would ever be a part of the Indian women’s cricket team.
How Shanta became the first woman captain