By Anjum Chopra The women’s IPL is finally coming to fruition.The IPL will begin in March 2023 and see women take the spotlight before the already established world-class event which is the male’s Indian Premier League.
While it will improve women’s cricket with greater competition in cricket however, it’ll be in completely different to the male game which has seen an overabundance of playing time.
England Test captain Ben Stokes deciding to quit ODIs and New Zealand pace bowler Trent Boult not signing central contracts indicates the possibility of a new path forward for some established men’s players.
IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders decided to fill the position of head coach, which was left vacant following Brendon McCullum’s departure.They appointed Chandrakant Pandit.Pandit’s name has become synonymous with the ability to deliver consistent results in cricket at the national level.A player who has played at the top of the game, he has seen all the ways that players travel.
He is from a time in which technique and temperament were the key to becoming a full-time player, and later mastering patience to build an entire innings.For him, the game of cricket didn’t change regardless of the situation either the player or the team.
While commenting in cricket in the domestic Ranji Trophy knockout matches earlier this season, I noticed that Madhya Pradesh (the team Pandit was coaching) was unafraid of failing.It wasn’t in the sense that the batters made excessive shots, but in their overall approach , whether in the final or semis.
It was a calm, cool and composed side.MP didn’t have any big names in their squad.They didn’t seem to be too worried about being up against the bigger names in the other teams.They simply followed their own path.
They did their work, followed instructions and adhered to their convictions.
To overcome the odds of Bengal in the semifinals and defeat a favored Mumbai team in the final, Mumbai had to be steady.
In the lead up to of the final match against Mumbai I could tell the fact that Aditya Srivastava seemed more anxious than Prithvi Shaw! But being nervous isn’t an issue.Aditya and his team proved that.
When they were asked to bowl, Mumbai did not have an easy time against the fast batsmen of Mumbai.But by the day’s end of the first day of play MP had gotten themselves back into the game and eventually took the title.
Chandrakant’s appointment to the position of the head coach of an IPL franchise is a fresh starting point for Indian coaches.There’s always a first time.The way he conducts himself with the IPL team could be different , but he is able to thrive on a solid base.He always says that cricket remains the same.I believe that too.To get the ball directly over the bowler’s head one must learn to guard the ball before attempting to move it along the ground.Lofting is an extension of the arms, but the base is the same in both strokes.
BCCI has a very well-organized coaching program.
In the event of the women’s IPL nearing, there may be a resemblance initially in taking a stance on local coaches being second to foreign coaches however there is no certainty.It will be essential to Indian women coaches to stand up and be considered in.
The men’s game is in overdrive while women’s play is in the stage of progression.It could not take a lot of time to gain speed but any deviation in the fundamentals of the game could be the challenge.It’s not always easy to throw the ball straight off the line of the park in order to score runs.sometimes, grafting for ones and twos keeps the scoreboard going.
Girls’ game — coaches and players.
(Anjum Chopra was a former captain of the Indian women’s cricket team.The opinions presented here are personal)
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