Women and cricket is the hot debate, so who’s winning and who’s whining?
Mandira Bedi’s noodle-straps are now part of official cricketing folklore, but also for reasons unconnected (no pun intended) to the accompanying controversy. I remember sitting with a group of friends when the wardrobe malfunction happened on live TV and it turned out to be a case of wardrobe male-function. It appeared that none of the males present had even heard of noodle-straps and their use, or misuse. Sure, we had all seen them (barely) on fashionistas and social fireflies but like a lot of garments and accessories worn by women these days, it is prudent to let their nomenclature and usage remain an unfathomable mystery. Mandira’s sartorial choice was, in that context, a revelation for us men who till then had only equated noodles with Chinese takeaway.
It was actually more than that. Cricketing purists and pundits are still grinding their teeth, but it was a transformational even historic moment in the gentleman’s game; mainly because gentlemen were no longer its sole custodians. Here, for the first time, women had breached what was a cozy, exclusive male club and cricket and the commentary box would never be the same. From the 2003 World Cup where Ms Bedi made her contentious debut, to its 2011 version, we’ve come a long way, baby. Make that baby bulge. Not only is she back, all aglow in the first flush of pregnancy, but so are the host of other women, from TV studios to the media centre and spectators, who have literally added an extra innings to the sport.
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