Exclusive: BCCI's landmark pay parity decision will transform women's cricket in India, claims Anjum Chopra

New Delhi, Oct 31: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is being hailed left-right-and-centre for introducing pay parity in Indian cricket. BCCI - which is the richest cricket board in the world - has announced equal match fees for male and female cricketers.

Just like their male counterparts, Indian women cricketers will now be receiving Rs 15 Lakh in a Test, Rs 6 Lakh in an ODI and Rs 3 Lakh in a T20I. The said move is a massive upgrade for the female players as they used to roughly get around Rs 20,000 per match till now. The said hike is an increase of 1500 per cent for the women cricketers representing India on the international stage.

The entire cricket fraternity is lauding the BCCI for this decision and ushering in a new era, and former Indian women's cricket captain Anjum Chopra is no different.

In an exclusive chat with MyKhel, Chopra (45) claimed the landmark decision will have far-reaching implications in women's cricket and explained how it will act as a catalyst for change for future generations.

Here are the excerpts:

MyKhel: What is your take on the BCCI's decision on equal match fees for men and women cricketers and how is it going to transform women's cricket in India?

Anjum Chopra: It is a landmark move. Very happy with the announcement as it's a confidence-boosting and encouraging move for women cricketers. However, at the same time, it also puts some extra responsibility on their shoulders.

Everyone who's playing for India is a good player and a responsible player. Now that they are getting paid more means they are also grabbing more eyeballs. So, they will have to consistently raise the level of their game.

The pressure (of performance) also tags along with that. Why do we value Virat Kohli? We value him and his knocks because he soaks the pressure of more than a billion people with utmost ease and performs well even in a high-pressure India-Pakistan contest in the T20 World Cup.

However, I also believe money is not the only reason they should be playing well. Cricket is to be played in the same way. You can't play a drive differently. But what this increase in match fee actually does is that it encourages the present lot.

It won't make a difference to someone who's already earning say Rs 50 lakh annually. She might get an extra Rs 10-20 lakh. But it would do a world of good for someone who was previously earning one lakh in match fees and didn't have the central contract.

That player will now earn Rs 10-20 lakhs. In the current Indian side, there are many such young girls and this remuneration is going to help those who do not come from a well to do families.

This move is a massive confidence booster for a young girl of 15 or 16 years who aspires to be a cricketer. Neither she nor her parents will have to worry about her future, for she can now have a defined career path in women's cricket. It will send a positive message that if you're good enough, you can play for India and build a prospective career in cricket.

MK: Do you see a pay parity in the central contract in Indian cricket, say five years down the line?

Anjum Chopra: That's not my goal. It might be a vision or goal for people who are handling that. I am not saying they are wrong in their vision. From where I see it, I want a girl child to first play any sport. I want her to come out of a luxurious environment and play the sport even in the extremes of climate.

Next, I would want to see the girls, who are playing cricket, should be encouraged to stay invested in the sport and see if there is enough reason for that kid or her parents to allow their child to stay invested in the sport for whichever reason (whether it is monetary/career/admission into a college/or passion for the sport).

Then my third target will be to have a pool of players and ensure those players are progressing gradually to have a good supply chain for the Indian team. My next goal will be to ensure the Indian women's cricket team is skilful enough to beat any team in the world.

Then my target is to see if the team is worthy enough to become a world champion and how consistently can it maintain its dominance. So, I am thinking along those lines. Once that is taken care of, everything will automatically fall into place.

MK: What about domestic cricket because the players need a lot of support at the domestic level for sustenance and growth?

Anjum Chopra: Yes, I believe that is also in the pipeline. If you remember, during the COVID-19 times the BCCI was mulling offering contracts to domestic players as well. I am sure the board is working in that direction along with its stakeholders. It is a time taking process because there are several domestic cricket associations involved.

I think the board is working on the modalities because a player from, say Nagaland, will not get an annual contract equal to what a player from, say Mumbai Cricket Association will get. Similarly, the domestic structure of women's cricket also needs to improve. They need to get more games because at the moment they are not playing more than 20-25 white-ball matches annually. The more they play, the better they become.

However, things have changed for good at the domestic level. Now, these young girls are getting to stay in good hotels and their allowances are decent enough. So their family members don't have to take care of the travel and food expenses of their wards.

As I mentioned, the domestic contracts to the players in the days to come will guarantee players above 19 years of age, a regular source of income. Women's IPL will also help improve the living standards of the female players once it starts.

It will also increase the supply chain for the national side. If there is a pool of 18-20 players at the moment, we'll have a talent pool of 25-30 in a couple of years' time after the start of WIPL.

MK: The existing IPL franchises have shown interest in owning Women's IPL teams as well. Do you think their experiences will help the WIPL start on a better note for they already have the experience of taking care of the men's teams?

Anjum Chopra: Yes, the learning phase will be comparatively lesser because all the existing franchisees are very tuned to exactly what needs to be done. They know what needs to be done so logistically and systematically it will be easier. However, the only challenge for them will be picking up the players from the talent pool.

When the men's IPL started, that time out of a pool of 120-130 players you knew 100 or 110 players by name because they were all international players, domestic players and Indian players.

However, that awareness is missing in women's cricket. So the challenge they'll face is that they will need to identify the right talent, analyze their strengths and weaknesses and structure the team. But the good part is that every franchise has its machinery in place as their talent scouts are working all around the year to identify players from all parts of the world.

So, I won't be surprised if the existing franchisees have already asked the talent scouts to simultaneously identify female cricketers as well. So, if the IPL took three years, it might take Women's IPL only two years, you never know. But for the WIPL to work like well-oiled machinery, it might take some time for obvious reasons.

MK: Who according to you was the biggest takeaway from the Women's Asia Cup 2022?

Anjum Chopra: Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues were the best performers for India in the tournament. But Deepti Sharma for me was the biggest takeaway. After the 50-over World Cup in New Zealand in February-March, she was dropped from the team. She was then named captain of the Velocity team during the Women's T20 Challenge. She hasn't looked back from then on and has improved on every outing.