The BCCI is fully committed to increasing the number of Test matches for women’s cricket and expanding the presence of multi-day games in the domestic circuit, secretary Devajit Saikia said on Friday.
Focus on red-ball revival for Women’s cricket
Saikia praised Harmanpreet Kaur’s Indian side for their thrilling semi-final victory over Australia, calling it a record-breaking chase that captured the imagination of fans. He expressed confidence that the number of supporters donning India Blues with “Mandhana” and “Harmanpreet” on their backs would grow rapidly as the women’s team continues to make history.
Asked about revisiting the women’s calendar to include more red-ball matches in future FTPs, Saikia said the board was optimistic. “Basically, women are playing more white-ball cricket—T20Is and ODIs. About three years back, India restarted playing multi-day (Test) cricket with Australia, New Zealand, and England. When Jay Shah was the BCCI secretary, he took special initiative to promote women’s Test cricket. So we now are playing Test matches,” he told PTI.
“At the senior level, we must have more multi-day tournaments—that is one area we have to work on. All our domestic tournaments are mainly either T20 or 50-over matches. Maybe we will have to introduce multi-day competitions, just like the Ranji Trophy for men,” Saikia added.
Currently, India’s women’s team mostly plays one-off Tests in bilateral series before moving on to limited-overs fixtures. Saikia said it was time to increase the number of red-ball games. “Already we are playing Test matches against England and Australia, but we must find a way to include multi-day matches in all bilateral series.”
“A World Cup win could be women’s cricket’s 1983 moment”
Saikia compared the ongoing transformation in women’s cricket to the revolution sparked by the 1983 World Cup triumph, citing the impact of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) as a turning point.
“When the WPL was introduced professionally with strong sponsorship and viewership across television and digital platforms, it created a paradigm shift in Indian women’s cricket,” Saikia said.
“The WPL has elevated the women’s game in India. The team’s confidence, body language, and attitude have transformed in the last 3–4 years. If we win this trophy, it could have the same impact as 1983,” he added.
Saikia also highlighted the packed stands at the DY Patil Stadium as evidence of growing enthusiasm for women’s cricket. “It was a packed stadium, which was not common earlier. This victory over Australia will be a game-changer and give huge momentum to the future of Indian women’s cricket.”
(By PTI Inputs)
