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UT Cricket Association inducts first woman in selection committee
Three seasons after it came under the BCCI umbrella, the UT Cricket Association (UTCA) has finally inducted a woman in the selection committee for U-19, U-23 and senior women teams
Three seasons after it came under the BCCI umbrella, the UT Cricket Association (UTCA) has finally inducted a woman in the selection committee for U-19, U-23 and senior women teams which will compete in the domestic tournaments in the coming months by hiring former first-class cricketer Richa Sehgal. In the past three seasons, a three-member selection women committee, including former male cricketers, operated at the UTCA.
Richa, who has played 20 first-class matches for Punjab, will be in the women’s selection committee along with Kanwar Virdi and Anoop Sondhi.
Richa, who is a former student of MCM DAV College, Sector 36, and represented Panjab University, also led Guru Nanak Dev University in two All-India Inter-University titles. She is thrilled to get associated with the UTCA and aims to give back to the sport through her services.
“I feel lucky to get this chance from the UTCA. Cricket has evolved so much in the last decade. Chandigarh has got a talented pool of cricketers and we as the selection committee would want to groom this pool and make the best teams. The way the BCCI took over women’s cricket in 2006 and has taken it to a top-notch level is phenomenal. I would use all my experience and put it to the best use,” said 37-year-old Richa, who played for Punjab from 2006 to 2009. The former member of the North Zone team that played in the Rani Jhansi women’s cricket tournament, Richa was a left-handed batter and also a left-arm spinner in her playing days.
“Women cricketers namely Amanjot Kaur, Kashvee Gautam, Parushi Prabhakar, Rajni Kumari, Kumari Shibi and Nandani Sharma have done well for Chandigarh since the 2019 season. Covid affected the sport too. Hopefully this year we are going to have a full season. So, players will have lots of opportunities like camps, home matches and domestic matches. Then there is the U-19 World Cup in South Africa early next year. So junior cricketers have a great chance to shine and aim for a place in the India U-19 team,” she added.
