Indian male cricketers are having the best time of their lives in the UAE. It is not wrong to suggest that the Indian Premier League is one of the most important tournaments for cricket in India and the world.
The women, on the other hand, get an update too. They finally have a selection panel for the National cricketing side. Credible reports have suggested that Indian veteran Neetu David has been handed the job of chairing the selection panel. She has been one of the best players in the Indian side during the late 90s. The other members of the panel are Mithu Mukherjee, Renu Margrate, Arati Vaidya and V Kalpana.
It is heartening to note that all the aforementioned members of the selection panel are former cricketers who have represented India at the highest level. Cricket, for women, remains suspended in India while other countries have already seen themselves on the ground. BCCI was in the center of criticism for not forming a selection panel after the previous panel led by Hemlata Kala completed in the last assignment at the recent world cup in Australia.
The Secretary of BCCI, Jay Shah, announced the formation of the selection panel and highlighted the great career of Neetu David. She was India’s leading wicket-taker in WODIs before Jhulan made her way to the top. Of all applications called, Neetu was one of the most senior and experienced campaigners. A new selection panel will lead Indian women to the resumption of cricket as women’s T20 challenge will start off in UAE soon.
The richest cricketing board of the world, earlier, said that the pandemic has prevented it from forming a selection panel for women and it went ahead to call off the availability of Indian women for the tri-series scheduled in England stating logistical complications.
Indian Premier League, on the other hand, is a reality now amidst the pandemic. Selection Panel is, nonetheless, a positive step towards resumption of the game for women. One can only hope that bilateral fixtures are not very far for women in blue.
A student who enjoys studying cricket more than anything else, keen to learn the insights of the women’s game.