Cricket, a game loved by millions all over the world is home to some of the biggest sporting heroes in the world.  Dive deeper into the subcontinent (particularly India) and the game develops a status akin to the more popular religions in the world. All over India, you will find boys playing in the cricket grounds, streets or even inside their homes, practising their cover drives and full length deliveries. Note that we used the word ‘boys’ instead of ‘girls or women’ and there is a very good reason for that.

Women’s Cricket Playing Catch up

Ladies cricket it seems is running along a parallel timeline. Cricket played by men is given more importance and boys at a young age are encouraged to pursue their dreams of playing for the men in blue. Women, not so much. In fact, if you look at women’s cricket on a global stage, you will find that it took 211 years before women were granted membership of Marylebone Cricket Club. This was a mere two decades ago that women could set afoot in the club. Similar situation was found in England where it took a while before women could enter the Lord’s pavilion despite the club being operational since 1787. To say that men have had an advantage when it comes to cricket would be an understatement.

Still not convinced? Well, let’s dig deeper into the stats which tell us that the first ladies match occurred in 1934 while men had been playing cricket nearly half a century before that. On the other hand, male cricketers and their supporters have gone from one milestone to another. Just recently, India entered the much-feared grounds at Gabba and put an end to Australia’s dominance. It was an act of defiance but more importantly it laid down the importance of grooming and training young cricketers. Investing in young talent to a point that they feel at home in environments even as hostile as Australia.

Many feel that the credit or at least part of the credit goes to Rahul ‘The Wall’ Dravid. A fantastic cricketer in his own right known for his impenetrable defence, Dravid has been a strong advocate for laying the foundations of cricket India. Serving as an India Under-19 and A coach and now the National Cricket Academy director, it was Dravid who pushed the BCCI to schedule tours for the India A team. This way the youngsters would not only learn from the more experienced cricketers but would also experience life on tour and the many challenges it throws onto you.

Women’s Cricket | Time for Change

Many believe that the same steps must be taken with women’s cricket. In fact India seems to be one of the few countries along with England and Australia who are determined to strengthen their cricket be it for the boys or the girls. Once again, one can gauge the success of this mentality by witnessing the final of the Women’s T20 World Cup. Both Australia and England were favourites to duke it out in the finals of the tournament but instead India barged their way through and reached the finals against the Aussies.

While sides like Australia are used to performing in front of large crowds and are known for their mental strength, it was team India that impressed the most. The Indian team started off the tournament in the best possible way by defeating the Aussies. Shafali’s explosive batting at the top of the order coupled with exceptional spin bowling.

The final may have not gone India’s way but the atmosphere was certainly encouraging. They were banners for the women on the field. Slogans such as Chak De could be found in the ground and the support for Indian women’s team was enough to put a smile on the harshest critics. Even social media usually reserved for praising Bhumrah’s bowling or Rohit Sharma’s batting was full of praises for the women’s team. 

Cricket Betting | Accessible to Women

Similarly, another area that is connected with cricket is the art of cricket betting. Once again, mention the word betting or gambling and you are usually met with an overwhelming response by men. While the image of gambling has started improving with the advent of the internet, many still feel the act is rather far too shady and dare we say manly to be undertaken by women. You will find tons of websites that contain expert guides and tips aimed at men on how to best use their cricketing knowledge to place intelligent bets. The good news is that as is the case of a shift being observed in women’s cricket, a similar can also be found with websites related to both cricket and online betting.

At Cricket Betting Wali for example, you will find content written from a woman’s perspective. It is a site that aims to provide you with the best bookmakers that are currently available in India. It comes as no surprise that gambling operators from all over the world have woken up to the importance of the Indian market. With over a billion people and internet penetration that is one of the highest in South Asia, bookmakers are now keen to take a slice out of this lucrative pie.

CricketBettingWali lists down the most trustworthy sites that you can sign up to. Websites that have proper licenses and safety and security measures in place to ensure that your sensitive data is kept secure and that all gameplay is fair. The website also has a ‘news section’ which keeps you informed of the latest in the world of cricket and gambling such as the legality of gambling in India.

So next time, someone asks you about the progress of cricket and cricket betting in India, make sure  to mention the site above. This is only the tip of the iceberg as hopefully more women will be inclined to open up their sites, blogs to educate others in the quest for cricket accessibility.