What’s the story?
Mithali Raj, the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, has made it clear that female cricketers should not be compared to their male counterparts.
On being asked who her favourite male cricketer is between India and Pakistan, Raj took no prisoners and slammed the reporter in question. The incident happened on the eve of the Women’s World Cup at the opening dinner and media roundtable event and Raj had a snappy response.
ESPNcricinfo quoted her saying, “Do you ask the same question to a male cricketer? Do you ask them who their favourite female cricketer is? I have always been asked who's your favourite cricketer but you should ask them who their favourite female cricketer is.”
In case you didn’t know…
Mithali Raj is a living legend when it comes to women’s cricket having played at the top-most level for almost 17 years now. She has an enviable record in ODIs, having amassed 5781 runs at an average of 52.08 and is only the second woman to cross the 5,000-run mark. Her numbers even put some of the male cricketers to shame.
The heart of the matter
Although there have been concerted efforts to publicise women’s cricket lately, Raj pointed out that Indian women cricketers do not enjoy that insane amount of publicity as opposed to their male counterparts. However, she was quick to admit that men’s cricket does set the bar for the women.
She also conceded to requiring to lean on the expertise of men in the sport, in particular in the coaching department. Earlier this year, Purnima Rau was replaced by Tushar Arothe as the coach of the women’s team and Raj revealed that the team has benefitted from his guidance.
Also read: Interview: Jhulan Goswami speaks about her journey and how much cricket means to her
Reactions
Author’s take
If anything, the question signifies the inherent gender bias in sports, especially in India. At a time when the PV Sindhus, the Sania Mirzas and the Harmanpreet Kaurs are bringing so many laurels to the country, it is astonishing how little emphasis we put on women's sports.
I fail to recall any instance in which an Indian sportsman was asked who his favourite women counterpart is. Had this question been asked, it would certainly help in shifting the focus on women’s sport, something that is direly necessary.
Also read: ICC Women's World Cup: Preview of all the eight teams participating in the tournament
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