The recent launch of Poor Cousins of Million $ Babies, the first docu-drama on women’s sports in India, at the Claridges hotel in the capital yet again threw emphasis on the toil and hardwork that women cricketers put in their game, without expecting any “commercial” benefits that boys in the same arena get.
Launching the docu drama, actress Rani Mukherjee said, “Cricket is definitely not just a man’s game. We must change the title of the documentary from ‘poor’ to ‘better’ cousins of the Million Dollar Baby. Why do girls in India have to fight a hundred odds to fulfill a dream of playing their favourite sport?”
Talking about statistics, director of the documentary, Sunil Yash Kalra claims, “Women players perhaps get one-tenth the money that boys do, and little, or negligible infrastructural support that includes their stay at various hotels, travelling conditions, etc. Statistics show that Indian women cricketers are far more successful in T20s and ICC rankings,” he says.
Shashi Gupta, an ex-cricketer, further points out that lack of proper grounds for practice and authority in the hands of experienced players is further delaying (if not curbing) the growth of women cricketers in India. She says, “The camps for women cricketers are held on grounds which are much smaller than the ones where actual matches are held. Also, the training for men’s cricket starts three months in advance, while camps for women are organised only a month before the tournament.”
Having said that, if you ask these young women, if any of the above mentioned points deter their spirits when it comes to playing cricket, the reply is a unanimous “no”. Says Jhulan Goswami, Indian women’s cricket team captain, “We are quite satisfied with what we have today, and we don’t really compare ourselves with what is being given to the boys. The officials would be in a better position to comment on that.”