The title of this post is particularly apt in the Indian scenario. In almost every field men still dominate the scene. When it comes to sports, India and Indians have a massive soft spot for the 'Men In Blue', now what they are often referred to as Dhoni's Men! Whether they win or lose, the cricketers are the 'forever favourites'! No other sport in India get attention as much as cricket, and this point is hugely debated in the past 2 or 3 years in almost all channels of media. I don't think I have anything more to add with my limited knowledge of sports.
But what came to me as a bit of a surprise yesterday, and particularly today is that, finally the women's cricket team is getting featured in our newspapers and news channels. Well, the reason is obvious. After the men's team's disastrous performance at the T20 WC, and that the women's team have fared well so far in the T20 WC and have a chance to lift the title, it is but natural that the focus has shifted to the women's team. So all ears and eyes to the 'Girls In Blue'!
I have briefly been following the girls' team performance for a couple of years, mainly on the internet, and they have been performing rather well through the years. But who cares? How many people know the team? Leave aside the entire team, how many people know who's the captain of the team. Not only do we know MS Dhoni as the team captain, we also know about his other achievements and personal life. But poor Jhulan Goswami, she has to go a long way to let the Indians know that she is the captain of the women's cricket team. Some people know Mithali Raj's name, but I can guarantee, if people are randomly quizzed, 70 to 80 percent of the people will not know who she is or what sport she plays. That's the sad story of Indian sports, particularly the women's teams.
Will the sports bodies, media and corporates please wake up and do something now, or will they still continue to remain indifferent towards the women and other sporting forms? It cannot be said whether the 'Girls In Blue' will lift the T20 WC title or not, but if they do I hope the authorities will take note and bring in a revolution. Till such time, I am going to wait and watch, and hope those who are reading this post will do to! :)
