'They Couldn't Get The Food, So They Had Samosas For Breakfast,' Says Vinod Rai Of The Challenges The Women's Team Suffered During The 2017 WC
Published - 18 Apr 2022, 05:51 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 01:07 AM
Vinod Rai disclosed the team’s struggles during the 2017 Women’s World cup when India got to the final.
He did admit that his only disappointment during his stint wasn’t paying close enough attention to women’s cricket, which was the most heartbreaking revelation.
During his 33-month stint, which lasted from 2017 to 2019, he observed one of the most confrontational incidents in Indian cricket, the Anil Kumble-Virat Kohli debacle, which he debated and chatted about extensively in his new book ‘Not Just A Nightwatchman.
Nevertheless, there’s an even bigger eureka moment that he made in his book, which showcases the terrible state of women’s cricket in India.
In a discussion with The Week about his book, Vinod disclosed that his only disappointment during his stint seemed to be that he did not pay as much attention to women’s cricket, uncovering the most heartbreaking discovery that earlier jerseys made to wear by women cricketers have been re-stitched from men’s jerseys.
‘They had samosas for breakfast that morning’: Vinod Rai
He also discussed the struggles the team faced during the 2017 World Cup, when India got to the final. Vinod acknowledged that it wasn’t until Harmanpreet Kaur’s record-breaking 171 that the women’s sport received substantial attention.
“My disappointment was that I had not paid enough attention to women’s cricket until the match in which Harmanpreet Kaur scored 171* in the 2017 Women’s World Cup against Australia.”
“Sir, I was cramping so I had to hit sixes because I couldn’t run much!” she explained. They were told at the hotel that they couldn’t get the food they were presumed to, so they had samosas for breakfast that morning!”
Vinod Rai sincerely believe the girls deserved much better in terms of training, coaching facilities, cricketing equipment, travel facilities, and, finally, match fees and retainers. That was lacking, and we attempted to remedy it.
