The girls are being trained by Manju Chutia, former state player and now teacher of a local school. She, too, welcomed the idea. “Since it will be a four-day match, the girls can take turns as ball girls. This way, they need not ignore classes altogether”.

In Assam, cricket is still a predominantly male bastion, but Lakhimpur, Dhakuakhana, Silapathar, Kamrup, Guwahati, SIvasagar, Nagaon, Gauhati University and Silchar have strong women’s teams.

Erstwhile Women’s Cricket Association of India president and parliamentarian Ranee Narah had inspired women cricketers in Assam. Rupa Begum was even named among Indian probables half a decade ago. She, however, missed a berth in the final squad. Sudipta Debroy, who represented Assam in 1997, said the powers-that-be had never encouraged women to play cricket. “The cricket establishment is too busy with the boys,” she complained. Tina Sinha, another promising player, said she wants to become a professional cricketer and play for India.

Both Tina and Sudipta are participating in a camp for women cricketers now under way at Silchar. Twelve promising players in Barak Valley are undergoing training there.