For a few fleeting seconds, Abhishek Nayar, was a bit confused when asked about his new experience as the coach of a women's team. Four games into his new role, the UP Warriorz head coach wasn't sure whether to be honest or diplomatic. He chose one of the two lines, or probably something in between, and said, "I'm wrapping my head around it.

"A lot of coaches that I spoke to before taking up this job told me, listen, be direct. In men's cricket, sometimes, because you worked with them for a long time, there is that trust. So, you say a certain thing; if you say, listen, go over covers, they will know which ball to do it to, how to do it. In women's cricket, the attention to detail is a little more."

A bit cautiously, mindful of the words he was uttering, he continued, "Sometimes you need to sort of break it down in a lot of ways and it's not as obvious as you think it is. Sometimes you just think it's going to happen, it doesn't. So, I feel it's a more hands-on job. I'm also teaching myself every day that, listen, Abhishek, open your mouth, talk. Sometimes you have to do it and they're so receptive to it, it's amazing."

It's uncertain if he was pointing to a very specific instance or offering a generic example, but it's interesting that this experience for Nayar has come while leading a team which has fielded a line-up of all internationals, except Shweta Sehrawat (several of them have even won World Cups).

It's understandable that for someone who has had to switch roles between men's and women's cricket, the difference would be stark. But Nayar's experience has been wide ranging. He has spent time with the international men's team, an IPL side, spent over two decades being part of Mumbai cricket, and then even spent some time in a newly-developing cricket setup in Puducherry. He has mentored players like Angkrish Raghuvanshi from his pre-teens to experienced cricketers like KL Rahul and Dinesh Karthik midway through their international careers.

So for someone with Nayar's experience to be taken aback by this novelty is a bit surprising, but also equally reflective of a larger gulf in the cricketing pathways for men and women.

What surprises Abhishek about the 'when' and 'how' of the 'go over covers' instruction is a reflection of the absence of quality gametime (and possibly even the standard of coaching) through the entire length of the pathway for women - starting from school cricket. While boys aspiring to be professional cricketers would get opportunities to be playing cricket round the year, girls cricket would be limited to one or two tournaments in a year - if at all.