Former India captain as well as the BCCI Apex Council member Shantha Rangaswamy has requested the cricket board to organise the pink-ball domestic cricket tournament before Indian women will take on Australia women’s team to play the historic day-night Test match in Perth. The match will begin on September 30.
Meanwhile, she has welcomed the step, citing that Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game. India are scheduled to play a Test against England in June, for the first time in 7 years as well. Since they are out of practice for so long, it will be tough for the Mithali Raj-led squad as well
“BCCI has been planning on certain tournaments for women cricketers in the last year. But time and again plans have gone haywire because of the pandemic. It is heartening to note that the board has planned a Test during the Indian women’s tour of England,” Shantha Rangaswamy told PTI.
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“I firmly believe the ultimate barometer is the longest format. To add to this, a day-night Test against Australia has also been announced which should be highly appreciated. However, as Indian women don’t play red ball cricket even in the domestic circuit, it is advisable for the BCCI to conduct a pink-ball tournament in India before the players embark on the journey to Australia,” she further added.
However, the day-night Test is a tougher challenge considering the pink ball rather than the red ball one. Meanwhile, Some of India’s male Test cricketers had featured in the Duleep Trophy before playing their first-ever day-night Test against Bangladesh at home in 2019 as well. And, Shantha Rangaswamy also urged the BCCI to send the Indian women’s team to Sri Lanka alongside the men’s white-ball team in July as well.
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“It is also nice to know the Indian men will be playing in Sri Lanka (in July). It will be good if a women’s team is also sent to Sri Lanka. This will be a good way of increasing the standard of the bench strength. I am making all these suggestions as a former cricketer,” Shantha Rangaswamy concluded.
