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"Life has become very hectic... a little tedious. Phone calls from the media are not stopping. There is no free time now.  I like it though, as I don’t like to sit idle,” says former Indian women’s team cricket captain Diana Edulji in a telephonic chat with Parsiana on February 12, 2017, two weeks after the Supreme Court verdict included her in the four-member Committee of Administrators (COA) to supervise the management of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).  
The COA is headed by the former comptroller and auditor general of India Vinod Rai, and additionally includes historian and cricket writer Ramchandra Guha, and the current chief executive officer and managing director of Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation Vikram Limaye who will soon head the National Stock Exchange. "I was looking forward to this,” reveals Edulji clarifying that although her prior consent had been sought she did not expect to be the only player on the Committee which she considers "a great honor” for women cricketers.  She was "very happy that among all the communities it was a Parsi player who was selected.” Yet another contender for the COA was erstwhile Indian team wicket keeper Farokh Engineer, reveals Edulji. "It shows confidence in the integrity of the Parsi community,” believes Edulji.

 

 

 

 

The COA replaces the sacked BCCI officials who had failed to implement the Lodha Committee reforms aimed to bring transparency in the game. Hailing the Supreme Court decision, Justice R. M. Lodha conveyed to India Today of January 30, "A large panel was available before the Supreme Court and the best suitable people for the job have been selected and we respect it… Edulji… knows the sport. She would definitely help in making the Committee understand the administration of cricket.”
"Maybe it was my reputation in the sports field, being the only woman player called to depose before the Lodha Committee, or my ability to bring sports to a higher level in the Western Railways,” that led to the selection, analyzes Edulji. She had earlier worked with cricketers Anil Kumble and Mohinder Amarnath on the three-member steering committee tasked with forming the Players’ Association where both male and female players of all age-groups could raise their concerns.
Though unable to predict the tenure of COA, she specified, "We are not going to rush into things nor are we going to hang around too long. We have to be very careful when framing the constitution.” One challenge before her when working with the BCCI is dealing with the constant barrage of emails for a person who is admittedly "not computer savvy.” But she is learning fast.
Having struggled for decades for better playing conditions and emoluments for women cricketers, she considers this appointment a vindication that women cricketers are a force to be reckoned with. Sixty-one-year-old Edulji who has played 20 Tests and 34 one-day internationals (ODI) for India between 1976 and 1993 holds the record for collecting 63 wickets in Tests and 46 in ODIs. Having played on the first Indian women’s team, the right hand batter and left hand bowler led India in four Tests. She is the first woman cricketer to be conferred the Arjuna Award in 1983 and the Padma Shri in 2002, notes her life profile forwarded to Parsiana by former umpire Keki Doodhwala of Surat.
As Edulji conveyed to Doodhwala, the reason for Parsis not shining in sports these days is their reluctance to put in hard work. "A killer instinct…and dedication are a must…to get achievement in any field… Nowadays Parsis are not interested in sports related careers; they just want to play cricket to pass their time.” She was impressed though with the determination and discipline of Indian junior tennis star Kyra Shroff who she felt community youngsters should emulate. Upcoming cricketers Arzan Nagwaswalla of West Zone and Khushal Jilla of South Zone deserve to "be encouraged,” she recommended.