India women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj has attributed poor attendance in international matches to lack of television coverage.
Raj was speaking to local media in Potchefstroom on Sunday after beating hosts South Africa by eight wickets in a quadrangular series that also included Ireland and Zimbabwe.
It was the fourth time that India beat South Africa in their last five outings, but there was a very small crowd to witness the final.
“Back in India, we do have a lot of people coming and watching the matches,” Raj told TV channel News.
“It is important that we market the sport.
“If we are playing a series, or a bilateral series, it is important that it is broadcaster because a lot of people back home are so inquisitive to know the result of the game.
“They do follow it over the net, but if it is broadcast, it can make a huge difference for the profile of the game as well as for the players.
Raj said they got a lot of positive feedback from fans in India who followed the squad’s international games on the Internet, but they were keen to watch the matches on TV.
“Unfortunately, that (the issue of broadcasting) depends on the home board,” Raj said.