BCCI ignoring women's cricket, says Nutan Gavaskar

Accusing the BCCI of ignoring ladies cricket, Women's Cricket Association of India honorary general secretary Nutan Gavaskar has demanded the merger of the women's body with the all-powerful Indian board.

Accusing the BCCI of ignoring ladies cricket, Women's Cricket Association of India (WCAI) honorary general secretary Nutan Gavaskar has demanded the merger of the women's body with the all-powerful Indian board, which according to her was directed by the ICC eight years ago.

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"ICC should send its observers to locate whether its directive given in the year 2006 regarding merger of WCAI with BCCI has been implemented in letter and spirit," Nutan said, while talking to reporters in Mathura on Sunday.

Earlier, the WCIA had made similar attempts to maintain its existence after the original women's body merged with the BCCI in 2007.

Nutan, who is the younger sister of Sunil Gavaskar, opines that the BCCI appears to be indifferent in the promotion of women's cricket in India.

Nutan alleged that to save them from any action from ICC, the BCCI has only taken about two dozen girls, while over 100 talented women cricketers are still available in the country.

"Instead of acting as a foster mother, step-motherly treatment is given to WCAI. Neither are we getting the ground nor technical support like availability of coaches etc. It (BCCI) failed to hold any Test match of women's cricket during the last eight years," she said.

"Only in September this year, the girls could play one Test and now nobody knows when they would get similar opportunity," she added.

Nutan said that WCAI will do its bit to promote women's cricket and an IPL-style T20 tournament is on its agenda.

"For making women's cricket more popular, we have a plan to start an IPL-type league. In the first year, it would be open to only Indian woman players and then it would be allowed to international woman players. We are seriously looking for a sponsor," said Nutan.

She is of the opinion that for women empowerment, the government should also promote women's cricket in urban as well as in rural areas.

"Talent in rural areas is also available. The government should give scholarships to girl cricketers and reserve jobs for woman cricketers. Formation of girl's cricket team in schools should be made obligatory for every school," she suggested.

Instrumental in introducing women's cricket in Mumbai, Nutan, who is also the niece of former Test player Madhav Mistry, also narrated the advent of women's cricket in India and how it spread to other states.

"While WCAI came to the fore in 1973, the International Women's Cricket Association was formed in India in 1975," she said.