Former India captain fondly recalls her playing days
Former India captain, Shantha Rangaswamy has been nominated for the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women introduced for the first time to recognize the contribution of women cricketers.
Speaking to BCCI.TV, Ms. Rangaswamy said, “A Lifetime Achievement award is not like the Player of the Match award. It is for the services rendered for a period of time and that I think, is a wonderful recognition. I am on cloud nine right now because women’s cricket has now been put on a pedestal. I am positive that this step will be the first step and maybe the forerunner for many awards every year and that is the greatest part of it. “When least expected, this award has come and I am thrilled not just because I got it, but because it is the first time a lady cricketer is getting it.”
Growing up in a joint family of about 20 cousins in a big house with a big compound, she played right from the time she was six-seven years old. With friends included they would play tennis ball matches every weekend.
However, going forward since there wasn’t much women’s cricket being played professionally, she played badminton for Karnataka and was also the captain of the Karnataka softball team. She further says, “All softball players we started playing cricket in our club, the Falcon Sports Club. Then in April 1973 we weren’t aware of it but the first nationals (Women’s National Championship, a domestic tournament) were held in Pune. Maharashtra, Mumbai and half a team from UP was there. Some of the extras of Maharashtra played for UP. Some months later in November 1973, the nationals held in Varanasi had 16 teams participating including Karnataka, which I was leading. We beat the previous year’s runners-up Maharashtra to enter the final but lost to Bengal. My only grouse is that we won a Test, won one-day games, I won the Inter-zonals but I could never win the national championship for Karnataka.”
The first Indian woman cricketer to hit a six, she describes herself as aggressive middle-order while adding, “I think that I would have fit into the T20 mould like fish to water. However, the circumstances were such that a lot depended on my batting therefore because of the additional responsibility that weighed on my shoulders, I always played a cautious game. The only instance when I went after the bowling was the Bangalore Test against West Indies in 1976. Since the openers had got us off to a good start with 80 odd runs and when I went in it was 110 for two or something; that’s the time I really went after the bowling. That was also when I hit that six at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. I hooked one of the fast bowlers over mid-wicket. The point was that I had never played my natural game because of the additional responsibility. Being the key batter of the side besides being the captain, I enjoyed pressure situations. The pressures that go with captaincy it suited me.”
While she was a vital cog in the bowling lineup, Rangaswamy also has a four-wicket haul to her credit. Speaking about her skills she said, “I could really swing the ball well. I moved the ball a lot, but I was not quick.”
Rangaswamy who has been a selector, coach, manger and commentator, credited BCCI for the positives that it brought into the women’s game. Speaking about the transformation that the game has seen, she also remarked, “The setup is a lot more professional. In our lifetime, we never had professional coach or trainer, we didn’t know what a physiotherapist was. As a captain, I used to do everything that was needed. The fielding levels have gone up. The overall batting standards have improved.”
