India, Nov. 2 -- From sleeping in dormitories with no attached toilets, struggling to find funds for travel and sharing cricket kits, to now playing in front of packed stadiums and chasing a World Cup title, Indian women's cricket has travelled an extraordinary distance. As Harmanpreet Kaur's India prepare to face South Africa in the Women's World Cup final at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday, pioneers Shantha Rangaswamy and Nutan Gavaskar reflected on the sport's remarkable evolution - from days of hardship and neglect to a new era of recognition and hope.

"There was no money, no sponsors, and foreign tours were an ordeal. But there were women of steel who believed the show must go on," said Nutan Gavaskar, one of the torchbearers of the ...