Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - Live
Equal pay policy: Ushering in a new era for women’s cricket
The Diwali festivities had a perfect ending for me. First, it was India’s thrilling win over Pakistan in the ongoing T20 World Cup that made the whole nation swell with pride. And now with BCCI announcing the pay equity policy for India’s women cricketers, I am over the moon.
This move will provide great impetus to women’s cricket in India. With the inaugural women’s T20 league also ready to take off within a few months, one has to say that we are ushering in a new era. Credit should be given to the BCCI for pushing ahead with this measure and a special mention to BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who is taking important decisions to upscale the standard of women’s cricket in India.
Since 2017, the Indian women’s team has been doing well and climbing up the popularity charts. The team’s constant surge to the top level has been eye-catching and many of the players have become household names now. The fan base has increased by leaps and bounds. Be it TV viewership or social media platforms when the Indian women’s team is in action, fans are glued to the updates. If you look at the current scenario, so many women cricketers are now managed by professional sports management companies. We could not have imagined this some two decades ago and if you let that sink in, you realise how mind-blowing it all is.
I won’t be benefitting from this move, but it doesn’t matter because it is a great step forward for Indian cricket. Earlier there were too many other factors running on our minds when the BCCI took women’s cricket in its fold. Parity was not on our mind as the want for good facilities, more international matches, central contracts, qualified coaches and robust domestic cricket took precedence. But things happened step by step, slowly but surely.
In recent months, the Indian team did well at the Commonwealth Games, then won the ODI series against England in England after 23 years and rounded things off with the Asia Cup triumph. I remember when we played our first pink-ball Test against Australia in Australia, there was a great buzz at home and there too. The BCCI has definitely capitalised on all these factors and come up with the new policy. Not to forget how the BCCI has backed Tests for women. So, things are moving at a good pace post 2017. And in 2023, Indian women’s cricket will scale new heights with the advent of its own T20 women’s league.
With this ‘equal pay’ policy, the confidence of our women’s team will be bolstered and they will thrive to bring even more laurels to our country. There was a time (pre-BCCI era for women) when women cricketers hardly got any match fee and had below-par facilities to train. The BCCI providing a fillip to women’s cricket back in 2006 by taking charge was the best thing to have happened for the betterment of the sport for women. When the central contracts became a reality for us then, that too was historic for us.
That aside, it’s time for the Indian team to win an ICC trophy and make an impact globally. We have tremendous talent in our country and if they are nurtured and groomed well, India is going to have the best U-19 and senior teams.
The U-19 World Cup in South Africa next year will also be another stellar showcase of the sport. Being the first, it will bring youngsters into the spotlight. The equity policy will also attract domestic cricketers who would aim to do well for their states to fetch central contracts. Also, this will help domestic cricketers acquire a professional mindset.
I think we should also stop comparing men’s cricket with women’s cricket. They are both different entities and they have their own journeys. So, we may take a different route but we will get there. The BCCI happens to be the biggest and the most robust board. Now that India has taken this route, I am sure other boards will also get inspired and we might see the other boards also making this equity policy a reality.