Former India captain Anjum Chopra thinks that the BCCI has a plan for women’s cricket but the way of communication could be more specific. While speaking to PTI, Chopra shared that the BCCI is thinking about the progress of women’s cricket as well.
“It’s not that the BCCI is not thinking about women’s cricket. I only think they need to be more specific in communication about women’s cricket,” Chopra told PTI. “I firmly believe that they must be thinking about women’s cricket but the communication all this while has been very specific to men’s cricket.”
The BCCI has faced criticism after its withdrawal from a tour of England in September due to the logistical issues arising because of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. While referring to it “not nice”, Anjum Chopra believes players’ participation in the Women’s IPL will be helpful for their preparation for the 2021 ODI World Cup.
“It is heartening to see women’s cricket making headlines. They should have been a part of that England tour and it did not feel nice initially but the women’s IPL, irrespective of the format, will be helpful for World Cup preparations. Any form of cricket is good preparation,” Chopra added.
Former India captain further added, “Missing out on a tournament is not nice, but logistically there may have been issues. And you can’t send an under-prepared team. If you see in isolation we may have missed out on an opportunity to play in England. The more the girls play the better it is, before playing a tournament of the stature of World Cup. The assurance from the president is a very good thing.”
Meanwhile, Anjum Chopra welcomed the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI’s decision to host the Women’s T20 Challenge in the UAE alongside the men’s IPL. However, the tournament will take place in the first week of November – during the men’s IPL playoffs.
“I am definitely happy, it’s always nice to be part of any cricket anywhere across the world. They should have been nearing the final stages of the preparation for the World Cup by now, but because of the pandemic things did not go as planned,” added the first female cricketer to appear in 100 ODIs.
Currently, the global pandemic novel COVID-19 has brought the world into a standstill. While it has postponed nearly all the sporting events, Chopra, who represented India in a record six World Cups believed that the pandemic would not affect much on the women’s game which has gained a lot of momentum in recent times.
“…Cricket was on pause button…Once cricket resumes and players are back on the park, everything is going to get picked up. It might take some time to get started as everything starts from zero… The awareness the women’s game has created, I hope it stays. They will just restart, not start after the pandemic,” Anjum Chopra concluded.
