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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Cricket’s Quiet Crusader

Former kca Selection Chief who helped nurture a generation of women cricketers when the sport struggled for recognition Niketha Ramankutty A prominent figure in Indian women’s cricket, Niketha Ramankutty — former Chairperson of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) Women’s Selection Committee and Manager of the Kerala State women’s teams — has long championed the game, especially when women’s cricket had little platform in her home state. Her dedication helped nurture girls taking to cricket...

Cricket’s Quiet Crusader

Former kca Selection Chief who helped nurture a generation of women cricketers when the sport struggled for recognition Niketha Ramankutty A prominent figure in Indian women’s cricket, Niketha Ramankutty — former Chairperson of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) Women’s Selection Committee and Manager of the Kerala State women’s teams — has long championed the game, especially when women’s cricket had little platform in her home state. Her dedication helped nurture girls taking to cricket in Kerala. During her tenure, which ended recently, five players from the state went on to represent India, while three now feature in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). Niketha’s journey began in 1995 on modest grounds and rough pitches in the blazing sun of her native Thrissur. At the time, girls aspiring to play cricket often drew curious stares or disapproving glances. This was despite Kerala producing some of India’s finest female athletes, including P.T. Usha, Shiny Wilson, Anju Bobby George, K.M. Beenamol and Tintu Luka. “Those were the days when women’s cricket did not attract packed stadiums, prime-time television coverage, lucrative contracts or celebrity status. Thankfully, the BCCI has taken progressive steps, including equal pay for the senior women’s team and launching the WPL. These have brought greater visibility, professional avenues and financial security for women cricketers,” Niketha said during a chat with  The Perfect Voice  in Pune. With better infrastructure, stronger domestic competitions and greater junior-level exposure, she believes the future of women’s cricket in India is bright and encourages more girls to pursue the sport seriously. Humble Beginnings Niketha began playing informal matches in neighbourhood kalisthalams (playgrounds) and school competitions before realising cricket was her true calling. Coaches who noticed her composure encouraged her to pursue the game seriously. More than flamboyance, she brought reliability and quiet determination to the turf — qualities every captain values when a match hangs in the balance. These traits helped her rise through the ranks and become a key figure in Kerala’s women’s cricket structure. “She was like a gentle messiah for the players. During demanding moments, they could rely on her – whether to stabilise an innings or lift team spirit,” recalled a former colleague. Guiding Youngsters Her involvement came when women’s cricket in many states struggled even for basic facilities. Matches were rarely covered by the media, and limited travel or training arrangements often tested players’ patience. “As a mother of two daughters—Namradha, 18, and Nivedya, 14—I could understand the emotions of the young girls in the teams. Guiding players through difficult phases and helping them overcome failures gave me the greatest satisfaction,” she said. Niketha — an English Literature graduate with a master’s in Tourism Management — believes success in sport demands not only skill but also sacrifice. Strong parental support and encouragement from her husband, Vinoth Kumar, an engineer, helped her overcome many challenges. Never one to seek the spotlight, she let her performances speak for themselves, earning respect on the national circuit. Quiet Legacy Today, the landscape has changed dramatically. Young girls are more ambitious, parents more supportive, and cricket is seen as a viable career with opportunities in coaching, umpiring, team management, sports analysis and allied fields. Players like Niketha have quietly strengthened the sport. Their journeys show that some victories are not won under stadium floodlights, but by determined women who simply refused to stop playing.

Why Justin Trudeau Got Unpopular?

Justin Trudeau

The Canadian downfall has a lot to do with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. However, the rising unpopularity of Justin Trudeau is not a recent development. Trudeau in fact hit the rock bottom a long time ago. Needless to say, he is running a minority government, and he has somehow managed to survive with outside support driven by the ever freckling nature of the Khalistani supporter Jagmeet Singh.


While Trudeau was struggling to secure his position in the country, what made matters worse is that he ended up alienating a member of his own team. This sowed the seeds of the latest debacle.


Trudeau’s Deputy Prime Minister Christian Freeland resigned some two weeks back and the downfall accelerated. She was also Canada’s Finance Minister. Freeland publicly tendered her resignation with scathing claims against Justin Trudeau.


The resignation said that Justin Trudeau asked her to step down from the Finance Ministry because of load standing ideological differences in financial decisions. Freeland wanted to cut spending to reign in the budget deficit which had risen to 60 billion Canadian dollars. She wished to bring it down to 40 billion Canadian dollars. However, Trudeau was not allowing her to take the necessary steps. He refused to control government spending. In her resignation letter, Freeland had said that Canada needed to prepare itself for Donald Trump and his moves after he takes over as the US president.


Trump had threatened tariffs on goods from Canada as high as 20 percent which had the potential to crush Canada’s export sector completely. Freeland had pointed out, “Otawa needed to keep its fiscal powder dry.”


However, Trudeau seemed to be in no mood to care for the people of Canada and he was desperate to secure his benefits. Trudeau is planning to dole out money to the tune of 250 dollars to Canadians earning 150 thousand dollars annually. Such attempts to gather public favour are not new. While his popularity went down significantly over last nine years, Trudeau got into desperate attempts to ensure his reelection in 2025 polls by distributing money to the people in a bid to regain his popularity. Freeland called it “a costly political gimmick”.


Freeland in her resignation letter also mentioned that Trudeau was planning many more such costly gimmicks. She mentioned that Trudeau was planning a tax break on essential items. While this was planned during holiday season was supposed to cost 1.6 billion Canadian dollars in loss tax revenue.


Trudeau’s desperate attempts to buy popularity were going to crush Canada’s long term fiacal health. This prompted Freeland to quit and abandon the chaotic situation. Furthermore, Canada’s Housing Minister Sean Frazer too decided to quit adding to the sentiment of demand for Trudeau to step down as the leader of the Liberal Party by his own MPs. Needless to say, Trudeau’s rivals and allies like Jagmeet Singh made the most of it by strengthening the call for his resignation. However, he refused to step down and appointed a new Finance Minister adding to his depleting popularity.


While a re-election in Canada would mean a threat to Trump’s tariffs and hence Trump went all out launching a scathing attack on Freeland when she decided to resign. Reacting to the development om social media, Trump called her “toxic” and said, “Governor Trudeau was right to fire her.” He not only mocked Freeland but also mocked the Canadian Prime Minister by calling him a “Governor”. Trump further suggested that Canada joined as the 51st state of America to evade tariffs. Situation couldn’t be worse for Trudeau leaving only one option for him and that is to step down as the Canadian Prime Minister.


Trudeau's leadership has been marred by other controversies too. Ethics Scandals, particularly the SNC-Lavalin case, where he was found to have attempted to influence federal prosecutors. Besides he also attracted criticism over governance missteps during COVID-19 pandemic and housing market pressures. Clashes with party members including Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who resigned in December 2024 was the final nail in the coffin.

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