Rahul Bose feels cricket should no longer be called 'a gentleman's game'

Cricket may have carried the title, 'a gentleman's game', for a long time but veteran Bollywood actor Rahul Bose believes that the sport should no longer hold on to the label.

In an exclusive live chat with Indranil Basu on Sportskeeda's Facebook page, Rahul Bose stressed that it makes little sense for cricket to be called a gentleman's game in the current era, when women are also actively pursuing a career in the sport.

Can we stop calling cricket a gentlemen's game?: Rahul Bose

Rahul Bose, who played the role of the Indian cricket team captain in the movie Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii, had trained under Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi when he was younger. He also played three seasons for Bombay Gymkhana before switching to rugby.

Speaking of the label that cricket has carried for several years, Rahul Bose said:

"You refer to cricket as a gentleman's game, but it's played by a lot of women, a lot of ladies. Can we just stop calling it a gentleman's game?"

The 53-year-old feels that the title needs to be rephrased as it seems unfair to women within the cricket fraternity. He continued:

"Cricket is referred to as a gentleman's game, but if I was a woman and I was playing Test cricket, I would be thinking to myself, 'Will you please stop?'

Women's cricket has grown a lot in the last few years, with the BCCI now even planning to have a women's IPL. The recognition of female cricketers and their performances has also been vital for the unprecedented growth and development of the women's game.

It remains to be seen if cricket's long-held title will, indeed, be altered in the years to come.