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Diana Edulji will not rest until she has achieved something in BCCI

The current coach of the Indian women's cricket team that recently qualified for the ICC Women's World Cup 2017, Purnima Rau, told DNA from Hyderabad on Thursday that Edulji was a "go-getter".

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Diana Edulji and Purnima Rau
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It may be in the fitness of things for Indian women's cricket that Diana Edulji is the only cricketer, male or female, to be in the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators running the day-to-day affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Edulji was also part of the panel that selected former India women's team captain Shantha Rangaswamy as the first recipient of BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women.

The current coach of the Indian women's cricket team that recently qualified for the ICC Women's World Cup 2017, Purnima Rau, told DNA from Hyderabad on Thursday that Edulji was a "go-getter".

Rau, 50, is a former India captain who made her ODI debut under Edulji in 1993. She said that "Diana has got into the male bastion stuff who will not rest until she has achieved something".

Rau goes to the extent of saying that "considering what Diana has achieved in Railways, BCCI role is a very small thing for her".

The former off-spinning all-rounder explained: "For Railways, she achieved what no one could. She kept players together, got so many players job security with her fiercely protective instinct. Not many women played cricket until Diana started the process wherein more and more girls joining Railways. Hopefully, the same thing continues in BCCI."

It is only natural to expect big things for women's cricket with Diana at the helm. But Rau looked at it with perspective. "Being in the BCCI, her plans and how she is going to achieve them are very important. I am sure she will do a lot for women's cricket. That said, it will be unfair to expect her to pull rabbits out of the hat for us. It will be unfair to expect her to just concentrate on women's cricket. There must be more important things in BCCI that she will have to pay attention to."

Rau was hoping for India 'A' and Under-19 tours while also wanting women's cricket to go to the mofussil areas and for it to develop in North East.

"BCCI has been doing significant changes for us. The central contracts, the Under-23 tournament, pensions, a lot of things were put into place. It was a slow process. I won't put so much pressure on Diana. She should do what is expected for the BCCI, and women's cricket is just a part of it," Rau said, waiting for the right opportunity to have a chat with her former captain.

'Shantha deserves award' 

Rau also said that Rangaswamy richly deserved the BCCI accolade. "Shantha has done so much for women's cricket. We all looked up to her. Getting the recognition in your lifetime makes it even better than if you were to get it posthumously. She should have got the recognition long time back," Rau said.

Now coaching the likes of Mithali Raj and Jhulan Goswami, the pillars of the current Indian women's team, Rau said both deserved to be at the pinnacle of the ODI records. While Mithali, at 5,614 runs, needs 379 runs to become the highest run-getter in ODI history, Goswami, at 177 sticks, is four wickets away from being the most-successful wicket-taker.

"Both have worked hard for it. I remember Mithu and Jhulan when they were young. Mithali's cover drive is as sublime as it was then when she started. So has been Jhulan, bowling at three-fourth lengths consistently from her first match," Rau, who played for India between 1993 and 2000, said.

Rau prides herself in her "best coaching move" of asking Mithali to open in T20s. "Ever since I came in as a coach, I felt my best player should get 120 balls. Mithu is the fulcrum of the side. She has more freedom to express. Even if she plays a few dot balls, there will no pressure on her."

Rau felt that Mahendra Singh Dhoni should also be doing the same in men's cricket. "He being the best player, should be opening and that would be a frightful image for the opposition. If Dhoni can express himself in four-five overs, just imagine the damage he could do for 120 balls."

'Waiting for 1983 World Cup moment' 

Having guided India over the last couple of years, Rau said that the current team is "on the right path" to winning the World Cup in England in June. And it's also the dream of the former players also that India lift the World Cup.

India had to go through the qualifying tournament in Sri Lanka as they forfeited the three matches against Pakistan last year, thus losing ranking points and falling out of the top-four bracket. West Indies benefitted from India's largesse. But Rau said that it was good that India played the qualifying tournament.

"It was not just winning the qualifying tournament in Sri Lanka. We won the Asia Cup (T20). We won three ODIs against West Indies. We won a series against Sri Lanka. We won against Australia, New Zealand. It has been two years of tasting that feeling of winning. We are on the right path of winning World Cup. As senior players, we always dreamt of the World Cup. That moment will give a lot of meaning to all the former cricketers who have done so much, and also the ones currently playing. It is a moment to cherish and hopefully this team will fulfil the dream of ours.

"We are all waiting for the 1983 World Cup moment that happened for men. After that, everything rolled into place."

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