Sudha Shah – A Pioneer In Indian Women's Cricket

Journey of a sportsperson.

- Vijayan Bala

Sixty-year-old Sudha Shah, one of the pioneers of women’s cricket in India, became in June this year, only the second Indian women’s cricketer after Shanta Rangaswamy to receive the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her services to the game. Sudha, a right-hand batsman and off spinner, has served the cause of Indian women’s cricket for over four decades-first as a player, then coach and finally as a selector.

I chatted with Sudha on her well-deserved award and her experiences in Indian women’s cricket.

Congrats on your receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from the BCCI in June this year.

Thanks. I cannot say how happy and honoured I am at receiving this honour. All the sacrifices made and the hard work put in have been recognised by this Award. It feels really good.

I understand your family was involved in cricket. Could you tell our readers about your family?

My father was a Gujarati and my mother was from Kerala. My father was the Founder-Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Women’s Cricket Association (TNWCA). I have an elder sister- Meena Dalal nee Shah who played for Tamil Nadu and South Zone. My sister later on became Secretary of TNWCA after she stopped playing. My brother Arun played cricket for his school.

How did you start playing cricket?