Cricket lags behind other sports in Manipur: Coach Ganga
Source: Chronicle News Service / Rajchandra Mutum
Imphal, January 20 2024:
Despite its small size, Manipur shines in the global sporting platforms and continues to live up to its epithet of 'Powerhouse of sports in India' but the state lags behind in Cricket and is still unable to produce even a single prominent cricket player, stated Level-2 cricket coach Waikhom Ganga.
In an exclusive interview, Waikhom Ganga told The People's Chronicle that she started playing cricket from very young age with the sole target of repre senting India at least for once but unable to fulfil her dream even after playing for 5/6 years in domestic tournaments.
Ganga said that age factor forced her to retire from cricket but decided to join coaching profession to share her knowledge and expertise with women cricketers of the state, so as to enable them to join team India.
This is a huge challenge.
Nonetheless, it is possible with hard work, determination and dedication, Ganga said, adding that women of Manipur have no dearth of talent and are physically fit to play cricket.
According to Waikhom Ganga, she has been able to become the assistant coach of state senior cricket team due to existence of Thoubal District Cricket Association.
She said that she started playing cricket from the year 1998-99 with local elder brothers while she was studying in standard VIII and then took part in many tennis-ball cricket tournaments.
"Experience gained from these local tournaments paved the way for my entry into state sub-junior team in 1999," she said.
After Manipur Cricket Association became a full-fledged member of BCCI, the cricketing body asked the association to organise different tournaments.
Accordingly, Ganga was selected for Challenger's trophy in 2021 and even figured in auction list for women premier league but unable to play due to age factor.
Cricket is now a totally different sport from the past and BCCI selection committee is now focusing more on young and emerging women cricketers, Ganga said, adding that she is giving coaching to more than 40 young children at THAU ground, Thangmeiband with the sole target of producing players who could represent senior India team.
"With the changing nature of the game and detection of loopholes and weakness of state cricketers since joining the coach profession, I got the idea on how state players could be brought at par with players of other states and compete with them," Ganga claimed.
According to Ganga, cricket still lags behind other sports in Manipur but the number of cricket players has increased since the past 3/4 years and more players will emerge if MCA organises tournament for women cricketers and local clubs take responsibility for producing more cricketers.
It is a positive sign that MCA develops more cricket fields at different places of Manipur, she said, adding that entry of state senior team in elite group of Ranji Trophy and lifting of U-16 BIjay Hazari trophy have caught the attention of all and this led to increasing number of cricket play ers in the state.
Waikhom Ganga is the daughter of W Achou and Bnodini of Thoubal Achouba Mayai Leikai and she started her cricketing career when she represented THAU club in the first women tournament organised by MCA and emerged champion.
She then participated in many inter-zonal level T-20s and one-day matches organised by BCCI and was called up thrice to take part in camps at National Cricket Academy, Bangaluru.
She also represented India-A team and took part in many tournaments.