Not for glory, not for gold

Perhaps the brightest lining on the clouds of controversy hanging heavy above the current Indian Premier League IPL fixing Bollywood brawls postmatch parties and molestation charges is that the tourney Playoffs have become the venue for the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India BCCI extraordinary gesture of awarding onetime payments to former players The Board is digging into a substantial Rs 70 crore surplus to award exgreats for their service to the game While the BCCI has drawn up a list of former cricketers to be honoured in different categories see box including widows of deceased players it has bypassed former women players who played in an era when they got Rs 0 for playing for the country and paid out of their pockets to be able to travel and play Smash hit Anjali Pendharkar plays a cut shot on the field While some women claim they are shocked at the exclusion others believe the Boardrsquos munificence might extend to them mdash if not immediately then in the near future Mumbairsquos Diana Edulji one of the bestknown names in womenrsquos cricket says that ldquoThis is definitely such a good gesture by the cricket Board it is making so much money and one of the reasons why the Board has made this kind of money is because of the cricketers So it is worthy of applause when they decide to give back something to the cricketers There are so many who need financial assistance and even the widows of cricketers are awarded which is wonderful I wish though that the Board had thought about us women cricketers who have only played because of the love for the game In the 1970s when we used to play we got nothing at all as match fees in fact we used to pay out of our own pocket to play On my first overseas tour in 1976 to AustraliaNew Zealand only those who could pay the airfare went in a way we literally bought our places in the teamrdquo Aussie and me The Australian womenrsquos team with Indian players in 1975 Australia had undertaken a tour to India 1981 Diana remembers the 1981 World Cup in New Zealand where there were four players from Maharashtra mdashV Bhagat D Edulji S Kulkarni and A Pendharkar ldquoWe had no funds so we approached the Chief Minister A R Antulay at that time I recall Antulay landing on the tarmac of the Delhi airport where he gave us a cheque and then we were off to New Zealand to play the World Cuprdquo Talk about advance preparation Playing for nothing except passion and pride the women are now bitterly disappointed that the Board has passed them up when it comes to money from the surplus ldquoSince the BCCI has been so generous and given us too a pension like they do the male players I think the Board must reconsider and show their trademark generosity this time toordquo ends Indiarsquos celebrated former player Go getters The 1976 Indian team in New Zealandu00a0 The omission The word shocked does not figure in former cricketer Chennaibased Susan Pallikalrsquos lexicon but ldquosurpriserdquo certainly does And it is certainly not pleasantly surprised in this case ldquoI was just talking to the others and we all are a bit surprised at this omission Especially since the BCCI has included women in its pension scheme every month They are so efficient Every month we need not fret or send a reminder We get a message and the amount of pension is credited to our account So to be left out of this first we thought it must be a miss it must have slipped their mind We wrote a letter to the Board too a fortnight ago They got the letter but there has been no replyrdquo explains Susan V for victory Diana Edulji Susan Pallikalwith her squash player daughter Dipika right Susan says that the women too are a part of the BCCI Incidentally the men and women both are administered by the BCCI so the women39s cricket too comes under the BCCI umbrella ldquoWe are not on a warpathrdquo clarifies Susan ldquoWe just want to request the Board not to forget us We have also played for India with pride so if Indiarsquos powerful cricket body recognises us too that would be goodrdquo Susan turns the clock back to the days when women played simply to wear the baggy India cap with pride ldquoWe had no sponsorships and no money We would travel unreserved in trains to different venues of the country staying in hotels nobody has heard of One M K Sharma used to run from pillar to post collecting funds for us to travelrdquo Says the allrounder who would open the bowling and come in to bat at about 4down for India about the team39s travails ldquoSometimes we would stay all night at the Delhi train station Once I remember we lit a bonfire on the Itarsi Madhya Pradesh station as we waited to change trains as it was so coldrdquo Incidentally Susanrsquos daughter Dipika Pallikal is a wellknown squash player Dipika trains in Australia and her mother laughs a little wryly as she ends ldquoThank God she plays squash and not cricketrdquo Correct call Shantha Rangaswamy Right The Game Shantha Rangaswamy though simply says that it would have been ldquonicerdquo if the Board had thought of them but ldquoI am sure they will recognise us I am willing to bide my time till they do Money is important for an individual but the game is supreme it comes firstrdquo says the Bangalorebased former player Shantha is positive that the Board will recognise them in time since womenrsquos cricket too is part of the BCCI Meanwhile she has a message to the Board ldquoReintroduce the U16 section for womenrsquos cricket as a woman cricketerrsquos career span is very short By keeping only the U19 it is too late by the time a player peaks Women usually then move on to other responsibilities like marriage and a family so their time is very limited Not everybody is single like Diana Edulji and merdquo Shantha also echoes a common sentiment ldquoWomen should play more Test matches instead of concentrating on T20s and 50over games We must have more Tests let them play a twoday format At least that is vital to hone technique in the game Maybe we need to interact with the Board differently and handle this surplus situation differently with the largehearted Boardrdquo ends the Arjuna awardee No publicity Allrounder Shashi Gupta who is also on the BCCI panel currently representing the womenrsquos committee says ldquoIt is up to the BCCI to decide about this A letter has been sent to them we cannot say what will happenrdquo She then trains her guns on this reporter saying ldquoIf you are so worried about equality why donrsquot you media give equal importance to womenrsquos cricket So many games are being held and so much is being done in the womenrsquos game but it is not given any publicity There is nobody to speak up or help us even when talented players are not selected mdash if players are dropped and not given a chance to prove themselves they will give up cricket get married and start making rotisrdquo ends Shashi who one hopes displayed the same aggro when she played on the field between 1984 and 1993 Nonplayer Anuradha Misra also part of the BCCI and representing the womenrsquos committee prefers the wait lsquonrsquo watch approach ldquoI am optimistic that a decision will be taken soon sometimes things take a little time Maybe we have to put forth our demands in a coordinated and proper wayrdquo signs off the Delhibased official Include Us When Sudha Shah would stroke the ball for a celestial cover drive ldquoher favourite shotrdquo the ball hitting the sweet spot of the willow it all sort of clicked for this woman who used to bat at No 3 for India between 1975 and 1991 and coached the Indian team between 1999 and 2010 Sudha says it would be ldquonicerdquo if the BCCI included them in this initiative ldquoThey have thought about us in the pension scheme so it would really help if we could be included here toordquo opined Sudha Mumbairsquos Anjali Pendharkar has left her playing days behind but she continues to be involved with the game Anjali is part of the Womenrsquos Committee of the BCCI and represents the West Zone There is one Convenor from each zone mdash the North South East West and Central Says Anjali ldquoOverall the BCCI has Rs 70 crore as surplus Has the BCCI said that this is the final list of players They havenrsquot mdash so we the women are staying positive We have approached the BCCI and the Women39s Committee has put this across to them in the unlikely event of they not including us then we will seerdquo For Shubhangi Kulkarni it would not be out of place for the BCCI to do this ldquoAs they are looking after other aspects of the womenrsquos game and its welfarerdquo The former leg spinner and middle order bat cites the pension as how the Board is looking after the womenrsquos game Going by the principles of natural justice the women too deserve a slice of the BCCI pie The omission is certainly hurtful If it is an oversight it needs to be rectified After all one cannot live on love and fresh air alone even though that love for the game burnt in these women like a bright orange bonfire on a desperately cold Itarsi train station Board Bole Toh Says N Srinivasan president Board for Control of Cricket in India BCCI ldquoI cannot say anything The Indian Premier League IPL surplus is being given to the men cricketers and widows of male cricketers I can only comment on the decision that has been taken Power table N Srinivasan president BCCI MCA Chief Vilasrao Deshmukh and Rajeev Shukla rdquo When asked if there were any plans to include former women cricketers Srinivasan stonewalled the query simply reiterating quotI can only comment on the decision takenquot The BCCI pension scheme Some years ago the Board initiated a pension scheme for former Test players and umpires According to this scheme players who have represented India in Tests for a certain number of years get a certain amount of money every month from the Board They are entitled to get this for life Women cricketers too are included in the pension scheme Revenue to Former Players The Playoff matches of the DLF IPL 2012 witnessed a tribute by the BCCI The surplus revenue to BCCI from IPL and CLT20 was utilised to make a onetime payment to international and firstclass cricketers who retired before 2004 in recognition of their services to Indian cricket A total of 70 crore has started being distributed amongst these stalwarts Even widows are eligible for the onetime payment The beneficiaries have been divided into the following categories A category Cricketers who have played more than 100 Test matches Rs 15 crore B category Cricketers who have played between 75 and 99 Test matches Rs10 crore C category Cricketers who have played between 50 and 74 Test matches Rs 75 lakh D category Cricketers who have played between 25 and 49 Test matches Rs 60 lakh E category Cricketers who have played between 10 and 24 Test matches Rs 50 lakh F category Cricketers who have played between 1 and 9 Test matches and who have played their last international match before 1970 Rs 35 lakh G category Cricketers who have played 100 and more First Class matches Rs 30 lakh H category Cricketers who have played between 75 and 99 First Class matches Rs 25 lakh Three One Day Internationals ODIs will be considered the equivalent of one Test match Accordingly a cricketer who may have played say only one Test but a 100 ODIs will be considered part of the 39between 25 and 49 Tests39 bracketu00a0