Women’s cricket needs support from media: Mithali Raj

The Indian women's cricket team skipper said she had not felt the need to skip a press conference

Indian women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj has weighed in on the hot topic of press conferences following Naomi Osaka’s shock exit from the French Open after refusing to show up for mandatory post-match media obligations. The Indian skipper said she had not felt the need to skip press meets because women’s cricket needs more media support.

"Personally, I have not felt that I should forgo a press conference because women's cricket right now, where it stands, it needs media support and it is important for players also to sort of try and help in the growth of the sport. So, we need to try to promote the sport," Raj said at a virtual press conference ahead of the team’s tour of England, where they are slated to play a one-off Test match, three one-day internationals and as many T20 matches.

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Women’s cricket in India has not received the same media frenzy and fan following as the men’s team has for decades. Female players are also paid much less on average, which has for long been a prickly issue for many in the circuit.

Raj’s comments come in the light of Osaka’s decision to pull out from the French Open after the organisers fined her $15,000 and warned her of more severe consequences if she continued to skip press conferences that she had announced she would not attend on mental health grounds. The move has kicked up a storm on social media with many backing the world no. 2’s decision, while others have argued that players have an obligation to face the media.

Osaka had said in a Twitter post that she had been struggling to cope with “long bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018” and said she found it very stressful to speak to worldwide media.

Osaka’s statement has garnered support from several sportspersons, both in and out of tennis circles. However, officials of all the major slams had put out a statement on Sunday saying that media obligations were “a major contributor to the development and growth of our sport and the fan base of individual players”, hinting at the fact that press coverage is vital in generating public interest, filling seats at tournaments and ultimately goes a long way in top athletes getting paid for their efforts.