Indian women’s team grapple with uncertainty having no matches and no selectors

The immediate future of the Indian women’s cricket team looks pretty bleak at the moment in the post coronavirus pandemic world. The Indian women’s team were supposed to tour England in the month of September but that tour has been cancelled.

There are no tours, matches or even domestic tournaments on the horizon for women’s cricket at the moment. In addition to that, the term of the last women’s selection committee has already come to an end. The Hemlata Kala-led selection committee also featured Anjali Pendharker, Sudha Shah, Lopamudra Bhattacharji and Shashi Gupta.

The Indian women's team were set to tour England in June

The Indian women's team were originally slated to play a bilateral series comprising three ODIs and three T20Is against England in June. However, that tour got postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced it was in talks with their Indian and South African counterparts to host a tri-series in September.

"With South Africa due to arrive later in the summer, it had been hoped the three sides would play a tri-series, but the rising number of cases in India mean they will not be able to travel," the BBC reported.

"It is understood England will try to extend the series against the Proteas," the report added.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had put out an advertisement for the appointment of the senior women’s selection panel along with the men’s senior and junior selectors in January this year. While the vacancies for the men’s selectors were filled, the women’s panel remains vacant.

“In a way it is good that we don’t have a selection panel. With no cricket happening, the selectors would have spent the last six months of their tenure with no work. As far as resumption of cricket is concerned, one has to look at the safety of the cricketers first,” former India off-spinner Nooshin Al Khadeer was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror.

To add to the Indian women’s team's woes, BCCI General Manager (Cricket Operations) Saba Karim was also the concerned person in charge for the development of women’s cricket. The former India wicketkeeper has already resigned from his post last week and the BCCI is yet to either appoint his replacement or delegate his duties to other officials.

“Right now we have to be realistic. One should also keep in mind that the BCCI itself is in a bit of tough situation with both president and secretary on a tough wicket with regards to their tenure,” Nooshin Al Khadeer added.