Nutan Gavaskar’s Untold Story: The Struggle and Rise of Indian Women’s Cricket

This story is about the long and forgotten struggle of, women players in Indian cricket. Today when we see our Indian women’s cricket team winn World Cup matches we feel proud but it is hard to believe that once there was a time when these girls had no money no comfort no job and no attention from anyone. Still there were some brave women who played only for love of the game. They had a longing dream to wear the India jersey and a strong desire to move women players forward even when the road was full of problems. (History of Indian women's cricket)

Nutan Gavaskar: The Unsung Pioneer of Women’s Cricket in India

One of those names is Nutan Gavaskar the younger sister of famous cricketer Sunil Gavaskar.  She is one of the strongest voices of the first fight to build women’s cricket in India. In 1973 when the Women’s Cricket Association of India was formed, Nutan was among those young girls who created a team and organised tournaments without any help, only through passion and hard work. There were no sponsors at that time, not even proper bats and pads for practice. Going abroad for matches looked like an impossible dream, as arranging travel money was the biggest problem. Even then the players never stopped. Nutan once said that they were told clearly and bluntly that women’s cricket was not a professional sport and there was no money or facilities, if they still want to play, it should be only for their love for cricket. 

Nutan remembers one tour to New Zealand when they had no money to stay in hotels. Indian families living there, opened their homes and gave them space to stay and food to eat. The girls couldn't stay together so they stayed in different houses and then went to play their matches the next day. Such small stories sound unbelievable to the young generation of today. She also recalls one special moment when actress Mandira Bedi donated all the money she earned from a diamond brand advertisement to the Women’s Cricket Association of India. That money helped to buy air tickets for the Indian women’s team to go on a tour to England. At that time, kind people like her were the real supporters of women’s cricket. 

Sometimes Air India would agree to sponsor flight tickets because sending the national team abroad was seen as a matter of national pride. From the 1970s to the 1990s the struggle for money facilities and recognition was very long for women’s cricket. Nutan says, her heart fills with emotion when she sees players like Jemimah Rodrigues get front-page photos in newspapers because in the olden days they hardly got a small corner of a newspaper page. The headlines used to be short, saying that only whether the team won or lost. Names of players and match details were mostly missing. 

Nutan also worked a lot to find young talent. She once saw a tall fast bowler named Jhulan Goswami. Later that same girl became one of India’s most famous bowlers. Nutan feels proud that she noticed her talent early. Those days the players had very few items. The whole team had only three bats. Two openers used two bats and the third was passed on from player to player. The same pads and gloves were shared. The girls did not complain even though it was difficult. Their train journeys were long thirty six to forty-eight hours in general compartments. Many times they paid for their own tickets. During tournaments they lived in simple rooms sometimes fifteen to twenty girls together with very few baths and limited food. Still they kept smiling and once on the field they forgot all the discomfort. 

There was no match fee concept in those days because there was no money at all. Even after the Indian team became runner-up in the 2005 World Cup no one remembers if they got any prize money. Great players like Jhulan Goswami, Mithali Raj, Diana Edulji, Shantha Rangaswamy, and Anjum Chopra have also lived through those hard times. In 2006 when the BCCI took control of the women’s game, things began to change. Facilities training and money slowly improved. At first attention was given only to senior players but Nutan and the old association organised under fourteen and under sixteen tournaments to bring out new girls and build the future of the game. 

Now when Nutan watches the Indian women’s team travel in business class and live in five star hotels with full training diet fitness and coaching support her heart feels full. She says that long ago they had only one dream that one day women’s cricket will get the respect it truly deserves and now when she sees it happening she feels the dream has come true. This story is not only about the change of players. It is the story of courage passion and those women who proved to the world that cricket is not only a man’s game. This journey of hope and dedication is still continuing.

View this post on Instagram

View this post on Instagram

FAQs

Q1: Who is Nutan Gavaskar?

A1: Nutan Gavaskar is the younger sister of the famous cricketer Sunil Gavaskar and was a key player and organizer of the early days of women's cricket in India.

Q2: When was the Women's Cricket Association of India (WCAI) formed?

A2: The Women's Cricket Association of India (WCAI) was established in 1973, which gave organised form to women's cricket in India.

Q3: What has been the contribution of Nutan Gavaskar to women's cricket?

A3: Nutan Gavaskar played a key role in forming a women's cricket team, organising tournaments, and representing India in the initial stages without any government support or facilities.

Q4: Did women players get financial assistance in the initial days?

A4: No, at that time, women athletes had no financial support, no sponsorship, and no adequate facilities. They played solely on passion and dedication.

Q5: Why was the initial phase of women's cricket in India so difficult?

A5: Women's sports were not taken seriously in society, resources were scarce, and support was limited. Despite this, the players, through their hard work and courage, laid the foundation for women's cricket.

Nutan Gavaskar WCAI secretary | Nutan Gavaskar Sunil sister | Nutan Gavaskar women’s cricket pioneer | Nutan Gavaskar Mumbai club player | Nutan Gavaskar BCCI critique on women’s cricket | Nutan Gavaskar administrative role WCAI | Nutan Gavaskar overlooked women cricketers issue | Nutan Gavaskar contribution to women’s sport