Calling a shot a shot

Ashima Sehajpal Batish

In the sweltering heat of a Tuesday afternoon, at the Wankhede Stadium, audiences were treated to ‘cricket unusual’. For the first time, IPL hosted an exhibition match that brought together 22 Indian and international women cricketers for a T20 game. For BCCI, it was the testing of viability of women IPL. For Mayanti Langer, a celebrated sports presenter, it was another step towards gender neutrality. “Where cricket lovers purchase tickets for a good game, irrespective of if it’s an all men’s or all women’s match.”

We have always aimed for a pedestal where women are treated on par with men: Equal emoluments for equal amount of work, equal representation, equal benefits…. The long-standing promoters of gender equality and feminists, however, are now suggesting an alternative route to empowerment — gender neutrality.

Exactly what Mayanti believes in too!

It is plucking gender out of the whole debate. It is recognising people for their skill, regardless of gender or sexuality. She explains it with her introductory salutation. “I am a sports presenter and that is who I am.” She doesn’t appreciate when someone suffixes ‘female’ to her work profile. “Do we introduce a man as a male sports presenter, then why change the rule for a woman? It is only when we let performance define us that we create a gender neutral society,” adds Mayanti, who anchored pre-and-post match analysis of this season’s IPL on Star Sports.

It’s been over a decade of her anchoring sports events. From FIFA World Cup to hockey to Commonwealth Games to Cricket World Cup, her resume is rich with her feats and experiences, some of which, she treasures. “It’s heartening to see the swelling number of women audiences inside stadiums at every match. Middle-aged women celebrating a six or Mithali Raj hitting one across the boundary, or women colleagues behind cameras in sports studios changing the sports narrative of India.”

The narrative did get a revision 15 years back too, when Mandira Bedi started treading the uncharted territory of women anchoring sports shows. “Mandira broke the glass ceiling. She was a thorough professional at the job, but unfortunately, was first judged for what she wore and then scored for her impeccable anchoring.” Mayanti rues this hasn’t changed much. “People still judge you for what you wear and how you look, but you don’t have to be affected by it.” Like she was unfazed, when she was trolled for Stuart Binny’s (her husband) performance. “People don’t understand the implications of what they write, so why take them seriously. And social media can’t judge or dictate how a marriage should work.”

Like her decisions, her choices too are her discretion. “I can wear a red lipstick and be as professional, or a sport a short dress and be as thorough with my work.”

“That’s gender neutrality,” she repeats, “when only skill matters.”