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“All we need is equal respect”: Smriti Mandhana seeks same respect as men

“All we need is equal respect”: Smriti Mandhana seeks same respect as men

Smriti Mandhana spoke candidly about women's cricket and shared her thoughts on what needs to be done to take the sport forward.

Respect is something that is earned, and the women cricketers of the country want the same. Ace India women’s cricket team star Smriti Mandhana has warranted equal respect in the sport. She believes not just in cricket but also in other sports, women can equally excel. Furthermore, she has claimed that women cricketers are now being recognized and treated equally with men.

Smriti Mandhan demands equal respect

Smriti believes the management should focus on building the tournament into a successful one, ensuring it gains the same level of popularity as the IPL.

“From the time we started playing in terms even for the Indian team to having stadiums which were mostly empty to now filling out stadiums wherever we play as an Indian team or with RCB. I think it’s just a good, brilliant thing to watch, and I think more importantly as cricketers or as sports people, sometimes people mis-conceptualize thinking that we as women want equal stuff, but all we need is equal respect. People know us, people appreciate us, and criticize us, which is great. I think people are caring about women’s sport, they are watching it. So I think it’s a journey and I just feel it,” Smriti Mandhana said at the launch of the Sports-Forward Nation report in Bengaluru

WPL is same for women’s what IPL is to Men

Smriti Mandhana also mentioned that the Women’s Premier League has done the same for India’s domestic cricketers as the IPL has done for men’s domestic cricketers.

“To see India as a Sports-Forward Nation would mean a lot to all of us sportspersons, and it is all about the journey to becoming a sporting powerhouse. Domestic cricket, the IPL and now the WPL are very good examples of how cricket as a sport has benefitted from an overall robust system. Domestic women players are now earning to perform independently and are also getting the right exposure with tournaments such as the WPL.

Similarly, it would be inspiring to witness stories like these coming from across other disciplines as well. I am happy to be part of this movement with RCB to work towards making sports a priority across India. I want to see more girls playing sports by choice and finding success. If we can share our success and use sports as a driver for positive change, it would account for something that truly makes an impact,” She said

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