Former Indian women’s captain Shanta Rangaswamy has been nominated to receive the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s first Lifetime Achievement Award for Women, announced the BCCI on Monday.
Padmalkar Shivalkar and Rajinder Goel, former stalwarts of Indian domestic cricket, were also nominated by the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators for the CK Nayudu Lifetime Achievement Award for 2016.
“The committee consisting of Mr. N. Ram, Mr. Ramachandra Guha and Ms. Diana Edulji believed that BCCI needs to recognise the services rendered by Mr. Goel and Mr. Shivalkar who were not fortunate enough to play for India,” said the BCCI release.
Shivalkar and Goel were prolific for their respective state teams, Mumbai and Haryana, but being in the same era as Bishen Singh Bedi stopped the left-arm spin duo from earning an India cap.
Rangaswamy, while being happy about the growth and recognition that women cricketers are earning, warned that there is still work left to do, “It’s a good feeling that women cricketers are finally getting their due. Those days were tough but we were still able to to lay a solid foundation for the future. Ever since the BCCI took women cricket under its fold, things have significantly improved but there is still a lot that needs to be done,” the 63-year-old was quoted as saying by PTI.