Kolkata: The past one year has seen both the men’s as well as the women’s cricket team put on some stellar performances.
On one hand, Virat Kohli and his men continued to stamp their authority in world cricket and on the other, the Indian women’s team led by the legendary Mithali Raj has taken the world by storm after they reached the finals of the recently concluded Women’s World Cup and almost won the title.
As an acknowledgement of the, ‘good teams’ that the selectors have put together, the BCCI has announced an award of INR 15 lakh to each member of the men’s and women’s selection committee. This decision was taken at a meeting between the BCCI office bearers and the members of the Supreme Court appointed Committee of Administrators in Delhi on Wednesday.
“They have been rewarded for selecting good teams,” said CoA member Diana Edulji.
The men’s selection committee which is headed by MSK Prasad included Sarandeep Singh and Devang Gandhi. Since their appointment in September last year, they have enjoyed a good time as the Indian team has gone on to register test series victories against New Zealand, England and Australia at home. Also, the team has done considerably well in the limited overs’ format, where they have defeated teams like New Zealand, England and also finished as the runners-up in the Champions Trophy.
Hemalata Kala, who heads the women’s selection committee which includes Lopamudra Banerjee and Shashi Gupta also has enjoyed a lot of success. The Indian women’s team under Mithali Raj won the Quadrangular series which featured teams like South Africa, Zimbabwe and Ireland and the Asia Cup. Their most recent success came in the women’s World Cup where they finished as the runners-up, missing out on the trophy by just nine runs.
On the question of cricket being included in the Olympics, Edulji said that it would be decided by the BCCI’s general body.
Also, on the discussion of the revision of domestic player wages, the former women’s cricketer said that BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary was given the responsibilities of giving a definite shape to the revised arrangement and that this matter would be discussed in CoA’s the next meeting in Mumbai on August 23.
While speaking on the issue of the pending dues of former Indian skipper Mohammad Azharuddin, Edulji said that the matter would be dealt by the general body of the board. She also said that a legal team is exploring the case of Indian paceman S.Sreesanth, whose ban was lifted by the Kerala High Court.
While there are a lot of differences in the salaries received by the men and women cricketers, the BCCI’s move of awarding the women and men selectors with the same amount of money is an indication of a better future where both the men’s and women’s team are viewed on equal terms.