Very little is known about women's cricket in India. One person who has been with the game since its beginnings in 1973 is Sudha Shah. Hailing from Tamil Nadu, Sudha was captain of the Indian team while still in her teens. After a long and distinguished career as an all rounder, she has taken to coaching and is giving something back to the game.
Anand Vasu caught up with Sudha at her residence in Chennai for a frank chat about women's cricket.
AV: Not many people know about women's cricket in India. How has it grown from its early beginnings to its present state?
SS: We started playing the game in 1973. At that time we were among the first few. I've always been interested in the game and then we got to know that in Lucknow they had formed the Women's Cricket Association of India. I was in school at that time. A few of us got together and formed a club. At that time we had to go to each one of the girls' houses and ask their parents if they would allow their children to play cricket. They never thought that women could play the game at that time, so I had a lot of problems. As the years progressed a lot more girls began to play and we've got these tournaments. We have the South Zone Championship, following which we have the Inter-Zonals and the winners and runners up of the South Zone go for the Nationals. In all we have these three official tournaments throughout the year and the Indian team is selected on the basis of form shown in these competitions. The Indian team has played against West Indies, Australia, England, New Zealand. These countries have also come here and we've also gone there. It's a very slow beginning, but I'm sure we'll get there.
AV: During your playing days, you batted at number three and bowled off spin. Was there a uniformity in standards, within the Indian team and internationally?
SS: When compared to the other teams, physical fitness was the main difference. They were a lot fitter than us and much bigger than us really. We scored on them with our spinners. When it comes to batting I'd say that we were better than them technically, but they hit the ball much harder than us.
AV: If you are a young schoolboy cricketer in India you have all the Sachin Tendulkars, the Gangulys and the Dravids to look up to. As a young woman cricketer who did you look up to?
SS: When I started playing cricket I used to enjoy watching GR Viswanath and Sunil Gavaskar. We didn't have women cricketers to look up to at that time in India so naturally we used to watch all the men play. But I used to make it a point to go and watch a lot of cricket, be it a league match on a Sunday or the Buchi Babu Trophy or the Ranji Trophy. But certainly I used to enjoy watching the batting of Viswanath and Gavaskar the most.
AV: Women's cricket has come a long way since its beginnings in 1973. Are you happy with how far it's come?
SS: Game wise yes, but as far as finances are concerned we are still way back. When we have to go in search of a sponsor, the first question we are asked is "What mileage do I get out of women's cricket?" After all we are playing the same game as the men. We don't want to be compared with the men. It will be nice if there comes a day when we don't have to run around searching for a sponsor. They should sponsor us for the game and not because it's women's cricket. That will be a nice thing.
AV: In the recent past it seems like that the public, the media and commercial establishments are waking up to the fact that women's cricket is in fact becoming quite big. What role do you think the media has to play in promoting the game among women?
SS: I think the media has a really big role to play. We really depend on the media. I think they either make or break a game. I think that's where we do miss out. Frankly I feel our PR (public relations) are not too good. If we had someone professional looking after this aspect I think we'd get on top much quicker.
AV: After your long career as player you also took on the role of coach when the Indian woman's team toured England. What was that experience like?
SS: It was a totally different experience really. I've been playing cricket for so many years and when I had to sit out and watch the others play and tell them what to do. Especially in England, where the grounds are really lush and green. You really feel like going out there and fielding and things like that. At the beginning when we had this training camp in Delhi and I was umpiring in a practice match. The batswoman got rapped on the pads and instinctively I appealed! And then it slowly struck me "Oh I am umpiring." The transition from player to coach has taken some time.
AV: We've seen teams like South Africa and Australia adopt various professional strategies in their approach to the game in everything from fielding to fitness to psychology. That really hasn't happened in Indian men's cricket. Since the slate is clean in women's cricket, do you think it will be easier to start new initiatives?
SS: As I said before, what we lack is finance and without that it will be very difficult. For example when we went to England this time, the Indian team had just a manager and a coach travelling with the team. The English side had eight people in their supporting staff. They had a batting coach, a bowling coach, a fielding coach, a sports psychologist, a physio, a doctor and a dietician... I think we will find it difficult as long as our finances are in the condition that exists today.
AV: Playing men's cricket in India is a very lucrative profession. That is clearly not the case with women's cricket. What does a young woman interested in the game have to look forward to when she is just considering a career in cricket?
SS: I've played cricket for about 25 or 26 years and I played solely for the love of the game. There was nothing monetary in it. It was just that we loved the game. Earlier there were no institutions offering jobs to women cricketers. I got a job with Canara Bank through cricket, but after that the bank has not recruited any women cricketers. Now we have Railways and Air India who do recruit women cricketers. Most of the girls are studying when they start playing cricket and they ask what they will be able to do after they finish studying. They are not confident that there is a future in cricket. Private companies come forward and recruit promising young men cricketers, but they don't do that with women. It would be great if these girls were assured of a job, then they can go ahead and play the game. Most of them have to just give up the game because they can't be sure of a future in cricket.
AV: What would you like to see happening to Indian women's cricket? Where would you like to see it go?
SS: Right on top of course. Like I was saying earlier, the sponsors and the media have to get more involved. We don't like to be compared to the men. They're right on the top of the ladder and we're right at the bottom. I'd like to see us somewhere in the middle. That would be great.