Isa Guha, former England cricketer turned commentator, is part of the commentary panel for the ongoing Test series between India and England. Her knowledge of the game is up there with the best and thus she is not amidst the likes of David Lloyd, Nasser Hussain, David Gower and Ian Botham in the commentary box.
Guha, who has been witty, engaging, and sharp in her reading of the gentlemen’s game during the ongoing Test series is really happy to know that the audience wants to hear a female voice. She is also delighted with the fact that there are many opportunities for the Women cricketers at the moment after the game has reached new heights in women's cricket.
As per reports in Sport Star Live, Guha said, “Broadcasters are recognizing that there is a wider audience out there that want to hear a female voice. It's great that there are so many opportunities for women at the moment. I've been educated in broadcast through working around the world and now I feel really confident that I can do the job alongside men and comfortable that I do offer a different perspective.”
She further added, “OK, I haven't played the men's game. But I've played women's cricket and there are some similarities there. Part of my role is to try and get the best out of the guests that I have - try and understand what was going through their mind when they were playing and so forth.”
Last year, the ICC Women’s World Cup in England was a landmark in the women's game, breaking records for viewership figures and recognition.
She further added on the same, “It's wonderful to see how far women's cricket has come. Batters have gone to another level in terms of their power-hitting and striking ability. Fielding has constantly improved and there are more skills with the ball as well. The World Cup also showed that there is a greater depth to teams. It's certainly not about the big four anymore. The professionalism that's come into the game has been outstanding.”
On Women’s Indian Premier League (WIPL), Guha, who was also part of the IPL commentary panel, loves the Indian Cricket Board’s (BCCI) idea, saying “I've been hoping it might materialize for a while now, ever since I've been going to the IPL. It just makes sense. All the production is in place already.”
She signed off by saying, “It would make sense to play a women's game ahead of a men's game. You think about the number of games that start at 8 p.m. when there aren't any 4 p.m. games [that day] - you could quite easily do that. The question is: Is there enough depth? Could you start with six teams initially? Maybe have five overseas players instead of four, just to start with? As the competition strengthens, you can expand that and have fewer overseas players.”
