Mumbai, June 23 (IANS) Actress Deepika Padukone, who will soon be welcoming her second child with husband Ranveer Singh, has lauded the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) newly announced maternity return guidelines for women cricketers.

Calling it a “landmark moment for women in sport”, Deepika posted a report about the initiative on her Instagram Stories on Tuesday.

In its latest policy, ICC has introduced a well-structured post-pregnancy return-to-play framework for female players.

As per the structure, after having a baby, the female players will be provided with medical and psychological support, along with dedicated recovery plans, flexible training schedules, childcare support, and other facilities for the new mothers and their babies. This latest initiative by ICC will make sure that no player is forced to pick between motherhood and their career in sports.

This is not the first time that Deepika has raised her voice for a meaningful change. From mental health awareness, to an 8-hour work shift for a healthy work-life balance, the ‘Piku’ actress has always spoken about what she believes in.

In April this year, Deepika and Ranveer announced that they are expecting their second child together.

The couple made the happy announcement by sharing an adorable picture of their daughter Dua holding a pregnancy test kit showing a positive result.

For those who do not know, Deepika and Ranveer got married in an intimate yet lavish ceremony at Lake Como, Italy in November 2018, after being in a relationship for several years.

On the work front, Deepika will be seen starring alongside Shah Rukh Khan yet again in Siddharth Anand’s ‘King’.

Recently, a leaked behind-the-scenes video from the sets of ‘King’ went viral on social media. The clip featured a pregnant Deepika filming what seemed to be a romantic song sequence with SRK in Cape Town.

–IANS

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