We all know about the crazy cricket fandom in our country. If there is a world cup going on then the josh is so high that there is less traffic on the streets, people take leave from their offices, and whatnot. All this But is the craze just as high when it comes to women’s cricket? The sad reality is that women’s cricket is often overlooked and the players are not given enough credit. But recently it has been coming into the spotlight. And cricketer Smriti Mandhana has shared her opinion on the same.
Smriti Mandhana has been gaining headlines for her incredible game of body, mind and bat. Smriti is the vice-captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket team and is also in the Top 10 of the world rankings because of her run-making spree. The vice-captain of the Indian women’s cricket team is also known as “Lady Virat”.
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Smriti, in a recent interview with Vogue opened up about the game as well as her journey. Speaking to the magazine, the cricketer made it ample clear that she does not want to be called “lady Virat”. Smriti Mandhana further pointed out that men’s and women’s cricket should not be compared. According to the cricketer, both men’s and women’s cricket are different games and people shouldn’t put them both in the same category. Which is right, just BTW. Smriti is a different person and her achievements shouldn’t be equated or compared to Virat Kohli. She isn’t the female version of Virat Kohli, she is the one and only Smriti Mandhana. People need to stop comparing men’s and women’s cricket because not only is it not fair but also very ignorant.
Men’s sports are given more attention, more appreciation and more remuneration. This is the case, especially for cricket in India, where women’s cricket matches don’t have the same viewership as men’s cricket matches. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently announced that male and female cricketers in India will now be paid an equal match fee. But that still doesn’t close the huge gap, since the contractual salaries of women players still remain dissonantly lower than that of their male counterparts.
Therefore we must give the same recognition and appreciation to women’s sports as we do to men’s sports. Only then Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana will have their own individual standing and only then Smriti Mandhana will be recognised with her own name and won’t need the help of Virat Kohli’s stamp to be recognized for her achievements.
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Smriti in the interview said that when tennis was developing as a sport, comparisons were made between the service rates of different players. But now, Serena Williams is appreciated just as much as Roger Federer is. Smriti wants cricket to also reach this place where both men’s and women’s cricket has their own position. Let’s support her and make her hopes turn into reality. Sounds like a good plan, doesn’t it?
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