By Sahiba Bhatia

Both the men and women cricket teams of India are currently in South Africa to compete in an ongoing ODI series.

In the first match of the series, the women’s team beat South Africa by 88 runs. But unfortunately, Indians couldn’t watch the brilliance of their performance on TV. Or any other medium, for that matter.

The match that was held on 5^th of February in Kimberley was not broadcast on TV or anywhere online. Fans had to rely on Cricket South Africa’s Twitter handle for just a bland score update.

The Ladies Finger recently interviewed ESPN sports editor Sharda Ugra. When asked about the general problems faced by India’s women athletes, Ugra’s response was direct and it sums up the story behind the blackout of the women’s cricket match.

“The biggest problem for these girls is the fact that they happen to be girls,” she said.

The BCCI has put the blame on Cricket South Africa by claiming that it was their responsibility to ensure live telecast of the matches. They said that they don’t possess the rights for matches played outside the country.

In this case, one feels compelled to ask, to what lengths would the BCCI have gone to ensure a telecast had it been the men’s team? Would they have dismissed it as a trivial matter had our endorsement-endowed male players been on the ground? Would they not have made sure that there were enough close-ups of Kohli’s perfect jawline showing the beads of perspiration that reflected his immense effort for India’s sporting reputation?

Maybe the women’s team’s sweat doesn’t count as much for the BCCI, but the rest of country’s sports enthusiasts were looking forward to watching the team’s performance.

Oh, and by the way, the live telecast of the men’s team played without a hitch.