{"id":11211,"date":"2022-04-20T12:09:37","date_gmt":"2022-04-20T06:39:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesportsschool.com\/?p=11211"},"modified":"2023-05-23T14:29:57","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T14:29:57","slug":"pathway-to-play-for-the-indian-womens-cricket-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesportsschool.com\/pathway-to-play-for-the-indian-womens-cricket-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Pathway to play for the Indian Women\u2019s Cricket Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you always dreamed of playing for Indian Women\u2019s Cricket Team? The dream is on. There is a lot of luck involved in becoming a professional cricketer, but you can give yourself a better chance by following certain principles.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Women\u2019s cricket in India has changed massively in recent times. The progress has been both in terms of quality and women\u2019s cricket as a brand. The social media buzz and conversations happening around our women cricketers, especially during the recently concluded Women\u2019s Cricket World Cup held in New Zealand, clearly reflects the changing times. While it is still only a fraction of the kind of impact men\u2019s cricket creates in India, however, there has been positive movement in recent times.<\/span><\/p>\n

For every sport to grow, we need role models. Somebody who can be the aspiration of the young generation and inspire them to follow a sport. The 1983 World Cup<\/strong><\/a> win under the leadership of Kapil Dev<\/strong><\/a> changed things for men\u2019s cricket and a certain Sachin Tendulkar<\/strong><\/a> took Indian cricket to the next level in the 90s. Athletes like Saina Nehwal<\/strong><\/a>, MC Mary Kom<\/strong><\/a>, and Sania Mirza<\/strong> took their respective sports to a level like never before in India.<\/span><\/p>\n

If we talk of women\u2019s cricket in India, not so long ago it was struggling and had no real fan following. The women\u2019s cricket matches had limited viewership and sponsorships. Not just in India but even globally, things were not significantly different. However, things have changed recently for Indian women\u2019s cricket<\/strong><\/a>. Players like Smriti Mandhana<\/a>, Harmanpreet Kaur<\/a>, Shafali Verma<\/a>, Deepti Sharma<\/a>, Jemimah Rodrigues<\/a><\/strong>, and others have brought in a new revolution. Their superlative performances in International, as well as league cricket, have inspired many young Indian girls to take up the sport. Not just that, in recent years, brands have poured in, bringing in more money and stability to the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Pathway<\/p>\n

But, is the road to the Indian National Women\u2019s Team<\/strong><\/a> smooth? Definitely \u2018NOT\u2019. With more interest comes more participation resulting in more competition. The first step for every young girl is to have a passion for the game. Without passion and love for the sport, it is next to impossible to keep playing at the highest level. The next step is to perform well in school cricket<\/strong> and district-level cricket<\/strong> and rise up the ranks. Good performances there can promote one to the state team and thus enter the domestic cricket scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

The road beyond that gets even more complex as one enters the domestic structure. There are many domestic or first-class tournaments played in the country. However, the numbers are quite small when compared to their male counterparts. Men play the Ranji trophy<\/strong><\/a>, a four-day tournament, the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy<\/strong><\/a>, a T20 tournament, and the Vijay Hazare Trophy<\/strong><\/a>, a one-day tournament in their domestic season. The women only have the T20 and one-day<\/strong> matches, resulting in a lack of match practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"India<\/p>\n

The Women\u2019s Senior One Day Trophy<\/a><\/strong> started in the year 2006-07. Railways have won the last edition. The Women\u2019s Senior T20 Trophy<\/strong><\/a> is played by full members of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)<\/strong><\/a>. There is a Senior Women\u2019s One Day Challenger Trophy<\/strong><\/a> which is basically the women\u2019s version of the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy<\/strong><\/a>, which started during the 2008-09 season. BCCI President Sourav Ganguly<\/strong><\/a> and IPL Governing Council Chairman Brijesh Patel<\/strong><\/a> have recently discussed plans to launch a Women\u2019s IPL next year<\/strong><\/a>. Women\u2019s IPL can be the pathbreaker for women\u2019s cricket as it has the potential to increase the popularity of the sport and take it to the masses in India. T20 cricket is exciting and has always been a crowd puller.<\/span><\/p>\n

Good performances in all these stages can take one closer to the Indian Women\u2019s National Team. Earlier the biggest achievement for a women cricketer was to secure a government job through the game. But, things have changed now. Many women cricketers receive annual contracts and have deals with several brands bringing in a lot of positivity and the road only seems to get better from here.<\/span><\/p>\n

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