Women's World T20: KO game for eves too

Indian women’s team face West Indies in must-win game at PCA Stadium in Mohali. Meanwhile, skipper Mithali Raj willing to play waiting game to be paid the same as men’s team

Mohali: It is not just the Indian men’s team who are facing a must-win situation today to qualify for the ICC World T20 semi-final at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium. Even the Women in Blue have to win their match against West Indies at the same venue to have a chance to qualify for the semis before the men take on Australia.

West Indies women cricket team’s captain Stafanie Taylor and (right) India’s women cricket team’s skipper Mithali Raj at a training session in Bangalore recently. Pic/PTI

If that happens, the Indian women’s team is likely to get a huge boost not just in terms of popularity, but also in terms of pay cheques.

With tennis engulfed in a pay row between men and women, the women cricketers were posed similar queries. Although West Indies skipper Stafanie Taylor wished to be paid on par with the men’s team, India skipper Mithali Raj put things in perspective: “The game is the same, the rules are the same. Men’s cricket is looked at as an entertainment package. The input is more, so there is more money. Here, people are trying to still catch up with women’s cricket. Maybe, a year or two down the line, when it attracts more crowds, we can talk about parity in pay,” said Raj.

‘It will take time’
Taylor grinned for a while when the same question was put to her. “It’s not going to happen overnight. It will be nice if we are paid the same because we are working as hard as the men. The support we have received has not always been great, but we hope as pioneers, we have set the platform for those to follow to reap the benefits,” said Taylor.

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