Women’s cricket has been a poor cousin of Men in Blue. If the men’s team has grown by leaps and bounds, the Women in Blue have battled the odds to survive off-the-field bouncers. As they gear up for World T20, the girls hope this will change their fortunes
There was an eerie silence at the Jharkhand State Cricket Association International Stadium in Ranchi. After scoring the winning runs against Sri Lanka and sealing the T20 series, Indian women cricketers Smriti Mandhana and Veda Krishnamurthy glimpsed at the gallery, hoping to get some cheering from the spectators. But all they could find were some empty chairs and a few groundsmen roaming around the players’ arena. In the morning, they could spot a few schoolchildren at the stands, but as the team inched closer to victory, the crowd just dispersed. It was supposed to be a celebratory affair for the Women in Blue. However, an almost empty ground and unperturbed response from the local ground staff and unresponsive fans made it look as if they had just suffered an embarrassing defeat. Even after the customary prize distribution ceremony, the people present at the stadium seemed more interested in discussing about next day’s Asia Cup tie between Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s India and Shahid Afridi’s Pakistan.
Perhaps, the women’s achievements were not something they were particularly interested in. “We are quite used to such attitude. We have learnt to accept such things, and the focus is only on the game,” spinner Ekta Bisht, who was present in Ranchi on that afternoon, says while training at Bengaluru’s National Cricket Academy (NCA). For the last couple of weeks, the gang of girls is working hard at the camp to prepare for the 10-nation World T20 to begin in Bengaluru on March 15, which they say, would be a test of character for the whole team.
Recently, the Mithali Raj-led side has bagged a historic T20 series win against Australia at their den, followed by an ODI and T20 sweep against Sri Lanka. Even then, there have been no celebrations, no endorsements and no incentives for the players, and keeping all the factors in mind, the captain too isn’t ready to bask in the glory. Ask her and she says the real challenge would begin when the team starts its World T20 campaign against Bangladesh. “We have done well against Australia and Sri Lanka. It is important that we use the platform to develop women’s cricket in the country,” Mithali says.
Accepting the fact that there is still not enough publicity for women’s cricket, BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur ensures that the board will leave no stone unturned to develop the game. “We are working on the development of the domestic structure, along with providing the girls with enough international exposure,” Thakur says, indicating that the number of international matches would only go up in the future.
As the captain speaks, she appears quite calm and composed. After playing for India for more than a decade now, Mithali knows how important this World T20 is going to be for these 15 women. In a country where cricket is often treated as a religion and gender equality dominates the national discourse, it’s the men’s team that hogs the maximum attention. Over the years, the Men in Blue have grown by leaps and bounds, producing more and more stars.
Despite putting up some good show on field, the eves, however, are yet to make it to the big league. So, at a time when the whole country is busy searching for the men’s World T20 (which would run simultaneously) tickets, there’s hardly any craze about the women’s tournament. “There’s no point in thinking about all that. Our target is to play to our strength and make it count on the field. Only consistent performances would change the situation,” says coach Purnima Rau.
Over the years, the coaches and players have realised that the gap between the men’s and the women’s cricket will always remain, and their stories will be far different and difficult from their male counterparts. “It is better to focus on our job. That way we will be able to improve on our weaknesses,” the coach says.
Walk around the camp and the players have stories to tell that aren’t songs. As she trains hard at the nets, all-rounder Rajeshwari Gayakwad still remembers the days when she and her younger sister Rameshwari would walk for miles to reach the coaching camp in Karnataka’s Bijapur. Hailing from a lower-middle class family, life has never been a bed of roses for the 24-year old. “I would initially play with the boys in my locality. In those days, not many in our town knew about women’s cricket. We were often taunted,” Gayakwad reminisces. Her father was a teacher at a primary school, and it was not possible for the family to make all ends meet. “My father never discouraged me to play. He often found it difficult to run the family, but even then, he encouraged us,” Gayakwad says, adding that initially the sisters would hit the ground with borrowed kits. “Buying a bat was difficult, and we didn’t have enough money to get brand new gears every time. So, we managed with whatever little we had,” she adds.
After days of hard work, the all-rounder finally made the India cut in late 2014. She, however, had to face another big challenge last year as her father passed away suffering a cardiac arrest. “We were watching an IPL match, when he suddenly collapsed. I could start playing because of him, and for a moment it felt like the world has come crashing down,” an emotional Gayakwad says. She has recently been hired by the Western Railways, which has given her some financialsupport.“Unlike the men’s team, there’s hardly any recognition here. People don’t even know that we represent India,” the Bijapur girl says.
If Gayakwad found the going tough, R Kalpana’s story is nothing less than a Bollywood flick. Daughter of autorickshaw driver R Venkateshwarulu, the 19-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman from Vijaywada was spotted by coach Rau and Andhra Pradesh women’s team coach A Srinivas Reddy in 2002. While her father was not ready to allow Kalpana take up cricket, the coaches convinced him.
“My father had warned me not to take up cricket as it was quite expensive. They even wanted to get me married three years ago, but I have managed to pursue my dream,” Kalpana says. The stumper-batswoman still remembers those days when she would attend the camps without informing her family. “I was initially scared, but with the time, I realised that it is difficult to stay away fropm the game,” she adds. Even though, the stumper-batswoman will miss out on the World Cup, Kalpana agrees that even today, the women cricketers don’t receive enough respect.
Fast bowler Niranjana Nagarajan too has a similar opinion. She says people couldn’t even believe that she plays for India. When not on national sports duty, Nagarajan works as a ticket collector at Chennai railway station. “My father insisted that I should take up the job with Railways. It has provided us financial security, but while standing at the stations, at times I have felt that women’s cricket has no meaning here,” Nagarajan rues.
While her family has always supported her, Nagarajan also admits that only more cricketing exposure could change the things. “The recognition rate is 30 per cent at the moment. The BCCI has supported us, but we need more games,” says the fast bowler.
Women’s cricket, which started in India in the late 1970s, never really had enough money to survive. Earlier, the players were governed by the Women’s Cricket Association of India, but they were badly affected due to very little funding to the association. The match fees were less, the basic training facilities were poor, and at times players even had to shell out money from their own pockets to participate in international tournaments. Senior cricketer and former captain Jhulan Goswami agrees. “Those days, there was hardly any money. There were no facilities; even on national duty, players had to bear their own expenses,” Goswami, who started her career some 15 years ago, along with Mithali, says.
Things, however, started changing after BCCI took over in 2006. Following a directive by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Indian board brought the women’s body under its control. “In our times, we never thought of any central contract system. Now players can at least feel economically secure,” former captain and now national selector Shanta Rangaswamy points out. Last year, for the first time, women cricketers were offered central contracts by the BCCI, on the lines of the contract for male cricketers. The money, however, is no match. While A-grade cricketers like Dhoni and Virat Kohli receive `1 crore a year, their women counterparts—Goswami, Mithali, Thirush Kamini and Harmanpreet Kaur—are given `15 lakh each. Seven other women cricketers, who fall in Grade B, are given `10 lakh a year. But even then, there’s no comparison between the men’s and women’s teams in terms of endorsements. While a Dhoni or a Rohit Sharma earns crores in endorsements, there’s no such opportunity for Indian women. The former players, however, blame it on the mindset of the people. “In terms of money, the BCCI has also helped the retired women cricketers by providing pensions. But that’s not enough. The attitude towards women’s cricket must change. More corporate groups must support them,” former India cricketer Diana Edulji says. In their times, Edulji and Rangaswamy were paid daily allowance of $1 during foreign tours, so they welcome the present situation with open arms. “The mindset needs more change. The BCCI should start professional league for women so that they can match the world standards,” the former skipper says.
Even as they pull off stunning victories over England or New Zealand, the Indian women cricketers often miss expert guidance. Perhaps, that’s why, when they bumped into India’s men’s team in Australia, Bisht, Smriti Mandhana or R Kalpana couldn’t miss out on the opportunity. “We met Dhoni and he shared a few tips with us. Those were useful,” Bisht says. During the training camp, the girls have also taken a few tips from Team India fast bowler Mohammad Shami, who was at the NCA for rehab. “He advised the fast bowlers on how to tackle the situation. It’s not every day we get their advice, so it was special,” Bisht adds.
So, is there no chance of bridging the gap? Former Mumbai Ranji Trophy captain Shishir Hattangadi believes that things will improve with time. “Things have certainly changed ever since the BCCI has taken over, but there is still room for more,” Hattangadi says, adding: “Let’s not rush things. The women cricketers are playing really well on field. If they continue doing so, the women’s team will go places.”
In January, Mithali and Goswami were approached by Adelaide Strikers for the Australian Big Bash League (the Australian franchise-based cricket league), but they couldn’t participate in it as they failed to receive a clearance from the board. With international assignments lined up, the board wanted the players to focus on that.
Now, as the 15 young girls gear up to take on the world in the shortest format of the game, they are hoping to reach the finals stage, battling all odds. “It is not going to be easy, but we will definitely try. Success in World T20 would be a big boost for us, and we can’t afford to miss it,” 19-year-old batsman Mandhana says, brimming with confidence.
After a hard day’s practice, as the players leave NCA for hotel, the girls come for a team huddle in the middle of the field. They share thoughts, exchange ideas and leave the venue with a promise to better their show in a World Cup, the world has so far been unfair to!
With inputs from Vivek Phadnis