CHENNAI: Indian newspapers made for solid reading on the morning of November 10, 2015. Most of the front pages led with only one thing – Shashank Manohar taking the chair vacated by N Srinivasan as chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). On the sports pages, detailed analysis followed, of what this shift meant for whom. Most papers played down, perhaps, the most significant piece of announcement that took place at the BCCI’s 86th Annual General Meeting on November 9, 2015.
The governing body for the sport in India had finally come out of the Dark Ages to award contracts to women cricketers. Eleven cricketers (four in Grade A and seven in Grade B) were the beneficiaries. Given the context — they were the last in the women’s game to introduce central contracts – it was a welcome change. The papers tucked this away in a remote corner.
Six twenty-one days have passed since that watershed moment but there is now hope of genuine change. Even though the women did not win the World Cup, their tour de force of a campaign might have changed the face of women’s cricket in India. Harmanpreet Kaur, already a big name because of her time at the Women’s Big Bash League, has cemented her status after playing one of the all-time great knocks in the history of ODI cricket. Mithali Raj, who on Monday was named captain of ICC’s World Cup team, is now more recognised than ever before. Here’s a small sample of how her popularity went zooming during the last month. As she left for England, she had close to 7000 followers on her official Twitter handle. @M_Raj03 now has 147,620 followers.
Her team reached the final but the meaning of those five words is greater than the sum of its parts multiplied 10 times. A win for Indian women cricketers roughly translates to a win for women cricketers all over the world. England captain, Heather Knight, said as much in her pre-final press conference. “India being in the final is the best result for women’s cricket,” she had said. “There is massive scope for growth from India. And with their team being in the final, BCCI will take note and support women’s cricket.”
BCCI has, in the past, not treated women’s cricket well. A fielding coach was not appointed till a few weeks before the World Cup. They even wondered the pros and cons of sending their media team to cover this tournament. “Was it worth it?” they kept asking themselves before they decided to send. Keeping these factors in mind, BCCI’s statement on Saturday was huge. A prize money of Rs 50 lakh (that’s Rs 35 lakh more than what Grade A women’s cricketers earn annually) for each and every member of the women’s team was just reward for making the final. That’s a start after years of being ignored.
While the reality is that women in team sport come a distant second in terms of popularity, TV ratings and takers (Manchester United, one of the biggest sporting brands, still do not have a women’s team), Raj hopes this run will change that. “Everybody was very nervous and that resulted in our defeat,” she said after the final. It will take time, but these girls have set the platform for coming generations in India to look up to them. They have opened a lot of channels for women’s cricket. They should be really proud of themselves for doing that.” The 15 women that went to England have been very appreciative of what the BCCI has done in recent times but there is still lots to do if this new found momentum is to be distilled and redistributed properly.
For starters, the body are yet to announce new contracts for women cricketers (men got new ones last month). And the disparity, even in 2017, is huge. A rudimentary glance over the number of centrally contracted women’s players per country is staggering. Australia? Everyone, including domestic players, are assured a minimum sum of Rs 5.52 lakh per year. The 10 leading internationals get at least four times that. England? The 17 leading players get Rs 40.86 lakhs. New Zealand? Fifteen internationals get anywhere between Rs 9 and Rs 16 lakhs. Pakistan? The 23 of their biggest players take home anywhere Rs 25,000 to Rs 62,000 per month depending on the nature of their contracts (Categories A, B, C, D). South Africa? Fourteen of the best players are on the same terms as their male counterparts. West Indies? Fifteen internationals are paid up to 20 lakhs. India? Just 11, with seven of those receiving only Rs 10 lakh.
But the feeling is that the last month might change that and the overall coverage as well. While there is every chance the leading media publications will revert to type, they changed their mindset on Sunday. Even though the team lost, stories of valour, hopes and new dreams were carried on the front pages.
A new chapter had been written.
swaroop@newindianexpress.com