'They could not get the food' - Vinod Rai shares women cricketers' plight during 2017 World Cup

Women's cricket in India has been notching up new highs lately, with the audience and administrators finally giving it due importance. However, although the scenario has now changed, women cricketers went through hardships as late as 2017.

Vindo Rai, who was one of the members of the now-dissolved Committee of Administrators (CoA), touched upon the plight of Mithali Raj and Co. in his book 'Not Just A Nightwatchman'. 

Rai shockingly admitted to not paying attention to the Indian women's team in the 2017 ODI World Cup, in which the blue brigade emerged as the runner-up. 

"I do not think women's cricket has been given the attention it deserves. Unfortunately, women cricketers had not been taken seriously till about 2006, when Mr [Sharad] Pawar took the initiative to merge the men's and women's associations. I was aghast to know that men's uniforms were being cut up and re-stitched for women's players. I had to ring up Nike and tell them that this was not on and that their design would be different," Rai said, as quoted to the Week.

Further, the CoA member narrated an anecdote related to Harmanpreet Kaur's historic 171-run knock, which came in the all-important semi-final clash of the tournament.

"My regret was that I had not given due attention to women's cricket till the match in which Harmanpreet [Kaur] scored 171* in the 2017 Women's World Cup [against Australia]. She told me: "Sir, I was cramping, so I had to hit sixes as I could not run much!" They were told at the hotel that they could not get the food they were supposed to, so they had samosas for breakfast that morning!", he added.

Notably, the Mithali Raj-led side suffered a league stage exit in the previous World Cup. However, they have left their footprints on the global stage, courtesy of consistent performances in the last few years.