After grand run, time to give women players their due
NEW DELHI: With dust slowly settling on a defining World Cup for Indian women’s cricket, few issues need to be addressed to ensure it doesn’t end up being a storm in a teacup.
Media plays a big part. Before this World Cup, women’s cricket didn’t enjoy the most comprehensive coverage either from news agencies or TV. Last year’s World Twenty20 in India saw women play under the sun in front of vacant stands while men enjoyed the evening slots, like an opening act before the main show.
Having prime time TV slots dedicated to this World Cup influenced its success. And of course, India — cricket’s biggest TV audience — reaching the final mattered. Proof of that was in how the BCCI rewarded the players (~50 lakh each) and the support staff (~25 lakh each) for reaching the final. Compared to what it was even a decade ago, the state of affairs in women’s cricket has improved. Top cricketers have annual contracts while insurance, hotel stay and pension schemes — ranging from ~15,000 to ~22,000 according to the experience of players — have been put in place too.
CREATING JOBS
But not everyone reaches that level. Women cricketers get ~3,500 for every day playing a BCCI tournament while men get ~10,000 per day. To sustain cricketers at the domestic stage, employment is a necessity. “It is imperative that state governments start providing jobs. Corporate jobs limit cricketers in many ways so it’s not a viable option,” said former India cricketer and selector Mithu Mukherjee.
Currently, Railways is the only employer of women cricketers since it’s recognized by the BCCI. “With Air India winding up their team, we need more options so that the cricketers get at least a job,” said Mukherjee.
Making it to the Railways team isn’t easy but there are plenty of privileges that come with employment. “Right now 10 India players from the World Cup squad are employed by Railways. We provide 330 days leave per year so that their progress isn’t hampered,” Rekha Yadav, secretary, Railway Sports Promotion Board, told HT. “But I feel it’s time the parity in pay is looked into,” said Yadav.
Both Mukherjee and Yadav point out India need to ride this wave and create avenues for more exposure. “We have to arrange more matches for India A and U-19 teams,” said Mukherjee.
Top teams get almost an equal share of international matches but the likes of Australia score above other nations by having a product like the Women’s Big Bash League. “There are enough cricketers in India. There will be foreigners too. So numbers isn’t an issue if we have a women’s IPL. But we have to do it now,” said Mukherjee.