Our aim is to increase red ball games nationally and internationally: BCCI secy Saikia

The BCCI is firmly committed towards increasing the number of Test matches for women as well as increasing the volume of multi-day games at the domestic, secretary Devajit Saikia said on Friday.

The BCCI secretary lauded the Harmanpreet Kaur led Indian women's team for winning the semi-final against a formidable Australian team in a record-breaking chase and expressed confidence that legion of fans wearing the India Blues with 'Mandhana' and 'Harmanpreet' inscribed on the back will only grow exponentially.

Asked if BCCI will revisit the women's calender while chalking the future FTPs and have more red ball games, Saikia sounded optimistic.

"Basically, women are playing more white ball cricket-- T20Is and ODIs. About three back, India re-started playing multi-days (Test) cricket with Australia, New Zealand, England also. When Jay Shah was the secretary of BCCI, he took special initiative to promote women's Test cricket. So we now are playing Test matches," Saikia told PTI in an exclusive interview.

"At the senior level, we must have more multi-days' tournament, that is one area where we have to work out. All our domestic tournaments are mainly either T20 or 50 overs matches. Maybe we will have to introduce some tournaments having multi-days competition just like the Ranji Trophy for the men."

For past few years, Indian team mainly plays one-off Test in home and away series before playing three or five-match white ball series. Saikia believes time has come to increase the number of Test matches in bilateral series.

"Already we are playing Test matches against England and Australia but we must find a way to include multi-day matches in all bilateral series."

If India win World Cup, it will be the 1983 moment of women's cricket

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Saikia believes that introduction of Women's Premier League (WPL) has brought a paradigm shift in how the game is perceived, a first World Cup triumph will be a seminal moment just like Kapil Dev's team did in 1983.

"When WPL was introduced in a very professional manner with lot of sponsorship, lot of viewership, television, digital platforms, there was a paradigm shift in the women's cricket in India," Saikia said.

"WPL has taken Indian women's game to a certain level, the way India team is performing, the confidence level, their body language, their attitude, that has transformed in last 3-4 years. Now if we win this trophy, it can definitely have the same impact of 1983.

"Already women's cricket has made a mark but this will further take them to a higher position. So I am very positive and confident that something big is going to happen on Sunday, 2nd November."

Saikia was also moved by the packed DY Patil Stadium, an indicator how women's game has taken over and this victory over Australia could just be a game-changer.

"I think, will be a game changer in the coming days, the way the Indian fans are following this match and the way they are cheering up the team, It was a packed stadium in DY Patil, which was not very common earlier. It has given a lot of volume to the future success of Indian women's cricket."