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Former India women’s cricket captain Purnima Rau hopes that BCCI’s initiatives will change the face of women cricket

June 10, 2015 08:38 pm | Updated 08:38 pm IST

Purnima Rau. Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam

Purnima Rau. Photo: V.V. Subrahmanyam

Purnima Rau, the former India women’s cricket captain, was a product of a women’s league structure in Hyderabad in late 80s and early 90s when there was no money even for those playing for India. But, like all true champions, this gutsy all-rounder, who played five Tests and 33 ODIs between 1995-2000, pursued her passion for the sport because she could not think of life without cricket.

Not many may be aware the way Purnima brushed aside a huge personal tragedy to keep playing cricket and in a way epitomised the way women’s cricketers have slogged despite all odds over the years in an era when there was not even a regular venue to train daily. Cricketers like her were role models for the young talent who followed them and dreamt big. If the emergence of the likes of Hyderabadi Mithali Raj, arguably the finest women’s cricketer to play for India, is just a continuing link for the simple reason they had real characters who donned India colours to emulate in women’s cricket irrespective of what kind of support they get or not from the system.

The Indian women’s cricket player has been receiving Rs. 2,500 per match and Rs. 1 lakh for an entire tour so far. This will witness a two-fold increase as per the new proposals. A far cry from the hefty fees the men’s cricketers get for obvious reasons. But now things seem to be going to change for the good, at least marginally with the BCCI lining up a central contract system for the women’s cricketers too on the lines of their men counterparts.

“It is a wonderful step in the right direction for the BCCI to take these initiatives to change the face of women’s cricket. The best part is introducing the under-16 and under-23 events. These are the essential ingredients to ensure a competitive structure is in place which will also ensure continuity,” feels Purnima Rau, a senior officer with Air India and now nominated coach of India Blues team by the BCCI for the Women’s Challenger Series in Mysuru.

“Though I feel it is slightly late, it is a case of ‘better late than never’. What with the T-20 World Cup in 2016 and the 2017 one-day World Cup scheduled, we need all this planning and morale boosters for players,” feels the former India all-rounder who is back in the City having served as Baroda coach and now willing to serve Hyderabad cricket.

“It is imperative for the authorities to lay equal emphasis on both the traditional and the one-day format. Right now after 2006, there are no national-level two-day events. There are only one-day and T-20 events. This is sad and also the reason why we have not been consistent in the few Tests we played so far,” Purnima explains.

The respected cricketer is happy that the BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur looks to be a different official keen to giving a new direction to women’s cricket. “We need administrators like him and hope all the promises are implemented. I fully agree with him the domestic cricket needs to be improved a lot. Right now, I don’t see any standard, for obvious reasons. The players alone cannot be blamed for this as it is also because of lack of proper competitive structure,” the 48-year-old Purnima pointed out.

She signs off saying the most important step in giving women’s cricket the desired direction is to ensure that there are jobs for all those play for the country as only this will ensure that more parents let their kids play the sport.

“We have to ensure job security which is an integral element of any sportsperson’s career,” she concludes.

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