More opportunities for Mumbai's women in cricket, but beyond the boundary line

For a bladder that is used to holding it in for seven hours, this year's March 15 was a breeze. Vrinda Rathi travelled excitedly from Nerul to Churchgate that day to finally key in big names such as 'AB de Villiers' and 'JP Duminy' on her laptop. During this warm-up game between South Africa XI and local team XI at Wankhede stadium, the 27-year-old spent four feverish hours typing scores in the air-conditioned press box.It was a happy upgrade over this scorer's usual workplace -- sweaty tents on searing grounds that favoured punishing 50over innings. Besides being one of five women scorers in Mumbai, Rathi also umpires for local cricket matches. She likes sensing the cold war between the batsmen and bowlers in boy's cricket just as much as she enjoys the gentle camaraderie in women's cricket matches.. The problem, though, is that such bonding opportunities are rare. "There are very few women's cricket tournaments," says Rathi.
Her ringside view points to a crossroads in women's cricket in Mumbai. While the number of tournaments for local players remains low, their pay and facilities have improved ever since the BCCI took over in 2006. Instead of travelling in second-class compartments, they now fly to various cities. Also, cameras are slowly panning towards them. Before the recent Women's World T20 was aired live on TV for the first time, the senior women's inter-state T20 tournament too was televised earlier this year. While earlier the women's team would only travel with a trainer and a manager, "today, we also have a physio in almost every state," says Mumbai-based veteran player, Sunetra Paranjape, who represents India. In step with this growth, more avenues on the periphery of cricket like coaching, umpiring, scoring and video analysis -- have started emerging a means of livelihood.
This has also spawned jobs for women athletes. Former sprinter Kavita Pandya attributes her career as fitness coach for both the local and national women's cricket team to awareness. "People are realizing the importance of fitness and nutrition," says the Goregaon-based Pandya who became the first female trainer for cricketers in Mumbai eight years ago. "As players have to travel a lot, recovery and maintenance takes time," says the muscular Pandya. The run-up to the Women's World T20, Pandya spent the last three months with the Indian team monitoring their nutrition and says that the players noticed the difference when it improved their fielding.
But what women's cricket really needs is "someone crazy like Salman", says former cricketer Arundhati Ghosh. "Someone who would throw money, no questions asked," adds the 56-year-old, who has been silently working for the cause of popularising women's cricket. "Everyone wants returns," says Ghosh, who runs Dadar's Sporting Union Club. Here, at the foot of the cot on which her older brother is now sleeping, stand five cartons and four buckets containing the paraphernalia of Ghosh's unfinished dream. Uniforms she had designed two years ago -- blue jerseys with yellow patterns for Mumbai Smashers, maroon pants with pista-green streaks for Brave Hearts Punjab and grey and navy blue for Baroda Blasters among others -- lie neatly folded in cardboard while a blanket covers the mountain of bats, pads, gloves and caps.
It was going to be called 'Battle of the Eves' -- an IPL-like ten-day tournament where 12 teams of women -- including four teams from Mumbai-were to participate. Sponsors had been convinced, rooms in Ambassador hotel booked, doctors and ambulances arranged. Ghosh had even got Wankhede Stadium for the finals to ensure television coverage. But at the last moment -- for reasons she doesn't want to state -- the tournament that she had already spent over Rs 10 lakh on -- had to be canned. Just like it did in 2014 and 2015, after which "I thought of donating the kits to Nepal," she says.
Given the infrastructure now, Ghosh expects better performance but senses complacency. "Nobody asks for tips," laments the 56-year-old, who belongs to an era in cricket when women played without shin guards, arm guards or helmets even and had to shell out on travel themselves.
They welcome the recent introduction of under-23 tournament within women's cricket. "It gives players more opportunities to play, at least 8 or 9 tournaments a year, including zonals," says 15-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues, who plays in the under-16, senior and under-23 categories. She has missed several exams and family functions for the game. Rodrigues, who started playing cricket at age four, even shifted from Bhandup to Bandra to get more practice after being selected to play for Mumbai at age 12. But she knows others who have made greater sacrifices. "There are girls who come from as far as Dahanu and Virar for practice."
Paranjape, who has been with the Western Railway, says the police department, the Air Force and others should also offer jobs to players to ensure financial security while ex-India player and national selector Anjali Pendharkar insists on a change in the social mindset.