Captain of former Indian women’s cricket team Mithali Raj Women have offered a compelling glimpse in the winning journey of women in India so far.
Mithali Raj highlights the initial struggles of the Indian women’s team
In a recent appearance in Lallantop’s show “Guest in the news room,” Raj unveiled the Stark realities faced by women cricketers in an era where national representation offered little financial reward and basic features were a distant dream. His clear reflections have underlined the remarkable change that the game has been completed in the current scenario of the equality of the game.
Raj recalled a time when Indian women cricketers endured challenging situations, including traveling in general train coaches due to serious lack of financial assistance and recognition. The central contracts were non-existing, and the match fees were almost unheard. “We did not get the match fees because there was hardly any money in the game. Even the associations did not have money, so what could the players expect?” Raj said, highlighting the deepest financial obstacles. The 2005 Women’s Cricket World Cup was clearly depicted to the extent of these difficulties after India’s runner-up finish. Despite his commendable performance, each player received only ₹ 1,000 per match, an amount of a pattry 8,000 for the entire eight -match tournament. Raj said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) presented the annual contract only much later.
BCCI’s equal pay policy
When the BCCI integrated women’s cricket within its purview, it took a turn. This important step introduced a gradual but significant improvement in financial situations. Initially, the players began receiving payments per chain payment, which later developed into perish remuneration, marking the newborn stages of more and more professionalism within the game.
In later years, BCCI implemented several progressive measures aimed at promoting gender equity in cricket. The introduction of central contracts was an important step, followed by continuous efforts to align facilities and awards for teams of both men and women. A monumental milestone was achieved with the implementation of the same match fee, ensuring that male and female cricketers now get the same remuneration: ₹ 15 lakh for a Test match, ₹ 6 lakh for an ODI and ₹ 3 lakh for T20 International. This historical decision shows a long -awaited era of equality and recognition in Indian cricket.
The Indian women’s team’s consecutive strong performances on the international stage were also translated into more and more awards. After his second runner-up finish at the 2017 ODI World Cup, each player was awarded 50 lakhs by BCCI, with additional cash incentives from various state governments. Mithali, who captained the team during this successful campaign, blamed these progress directly for the increased focus and support from the BCCI post-techover.
Also read: Sachin Tendulkar appreciated the victory of India’s women’s historic twin series in England
This article was published for the first time Womencrick.comA Cricket Times Company.
