Indian women’s cricket team skipper, Mithali Raj feels that the improvement of women’s cricket in India lies in playing more Test matches and this will produce more world class cricketers from the country. The 34-year-old cricketer in her career of 18 years has only played 10 Test matches. While The Ashes remains a regular Test fixture in women’s cricket, other teams only get to play shorter formats of the game. According to the sources, India has only played 5 Test matches in the past 10 years.
Speaking at the felicitation function organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, where each of the team members was awarded Rs 50 lakh by the Board, Mithali said, “Test matches are the ultimate test for cricketers, whether it is your temperament, skill or endurance. However, women’s cricket needs promotion and so far it has been done mainly through T20s and ODIs by the respective cricket boards. As of now, it seems every board wishes to market the sport through Twenty20 and ODIs as they think they are the ideal formats. I feel Test matches should be played as frequently as limited-over games because it churns out quality players. If the Indian team wants to play, the other teams should also be ready to play Test matches.”