Kalpana Venkatachar, Managing Committee Member of KSCA, bats for stronger grassroots cricket

At a time when cricket was neither a popular sport among women nor easily accessible to them, Kalpana Venkatachar, along with several senior women cricketers in the State, padded up to popularise the game among young girls.

It is because of the efforts of cricketers like her that women’s cricket has grown in popularity not only in the country but across the world.

A former Test and One Day International (ODI) cricketer, Kalpana Venkatachar jointly holds the record with Sarah Illingworth of New Zealand for the most dismissals effected by a wicketkeeper in an innings in a Women’s Cricket World Cup match.

Currently, Kalpana Venkatachar is serving as a Managing Committee Member of Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) after being elected in the recent elections. She has been focusing on improving women’s cricket in the State by drawing on her knowledge and experience.

Star of Mysore caught up with Kalpana Venkatachar for a brief chat during her visit to the SDNR Wadiyar Stadium at Manasagangothri for the inauguration of the KSCA Annual Academy. Excerpts…

Star of Mysore (SOM): What are KSCA’s plans to improve cricket at grassroots level?

Kalpana Venkatachar: We have begun by starting academies across all six KSCA zones, which I believe is just the beginning. Open trials have been, and will continue to be, conducted in various cities to identify talented players, bring them together, help improve their skills, and groom them into better cricketers.

We will conduct regular matches between teams from the six academies and select 25 cricketers for advanced training. The selected players will be invited to Bengaluru, where they will undergo further training under qualified coaches and experts.

As mentioned earlier, KSCA will conduct camps throughout the year to ensure players train under the watchful eyes of experienced coaches. Senior players who have represented the State at various levels will also interact with the players and share their experiences to help them improve.

SOM: Budding cricketers in cities like Mysuru are not exposed much to turf wickets. How is KSCA planning to address this issue?

Kalpana Venkatachar: KSCA is fully aware of the current needs of cricketers from mofussil areas. The Managing Committee is planning to provide better infrastructure for both men and women cricketers in the coming days. Along with turf wickets, we are also planning to set up gyms at various centres for the benefit of players.

SOM: Compared to players in Bengaluru, cricketers from mofussil centres do not get the same level of exposure. What is KSCA planning to do to take cricket to these centres?

Kalpana Venkatachar: As I said earlier, this is just the beginning. For the first time, we have launched academies for girls covering all 31 districts in the State. Going forward, we will provide them with more exposure by organising matches on turf wickets and introducing pentangular tournaments to ensure they get more match practice.

This will also help us build a strong database of women cricketers, which, in turn, will help KSCA build competitive women’s teams at various levels.

SOM: When it comes to women cricketers, what do you think is the toughest challenge they face?

Kalpana Venkatachar: I think times have changed now. It is not like the earlier days when women cricketers had to face several challenges. Today’s youngsters are prepared to face challenges and most of them do not mind them at all. Their only focus now is to perform to the best of their abilities and progress to higher levels.

SOM: With KSCA giving more emphasis to women’s cricket, how do you see its growth in the State over the next decade?

Kalpana Venkatachar: I think women’s cricket will witness major changes in the next five to ten years. So far, we have not fully tapped the catchment areas. This is the first time we have gone to places like Mysuru and other regions to identify talent.

There have already been players from these areas representing the State at the U-16 and U-19 levels. Our focus now is to ensure these players make it to the senior State team. And if they eventually go on to represent the national side, there can be no greater satisfaction for all the efforts put in.

By S.N. Venkatnag Sobers