Ravi Narayanan draws parallels between India’s women cricketers and women breaking barriers in business

Ravi Narayanan, Managing Director and CEO of SMFG India Credit Company Limited (SMICC), has shared an inspiring message on LinkedIn celebrating the recent historic victory of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team, drawing a powerful parallel between the team’s triumph and the broader narrative of women defying odds across fields.

In his post titled “Breaking Records, Building Futures: The Power of the Indian Woman”, Narayanan described the team’s victory — chasing down a record score against a dominant rival — as “more than a sporting upset,” calling it “a spectacular, high-stakes declaration to the world: the determination of the Indian woman is limitless.”

Narayanan, who also shared a video along with his post, said the win serves as a metaphor for every woman who challenges patriarchal norms and preconceived limitations about her potential. “They didn’t just win a match; they validated the inherent potential that society has long sought to suppress,” he wrote.

Connecting the message to SMFG India Credit’s mission, Narayanan said the institution remains deeply committed to women’s economic empowerment. “We are proud to be a flag-bearer that provides crucial financial access to over 2.5 million women entrepreneurs across India. We believe that talent is equally distributed, but opportunity is not. When we eliminate financial barriers, women transition from simply managing households to powering our nation’s economy,” he added.

On a personal note, Narayanan said he felt particularly inspired as “a proud father of a brilliant, high-performing daughter.” He concluded his post with a call to action for corporate India: “Let us all, in the corporate world, ensure we are backing this brilliance with equitable access and unwavering support.”

Narayanan’s post comes at a time when the conversation around gender equity and women’s representation in leadership and entrepreneurship continues to gain momentum in India’s corporate and financial sectors. His message underscores how symbolic victories in sport can inspire and reflect deeper societal progress — from cricket pitches to boardrooms.