India’s finest batswoman who holds all the major batting records in women’s cricket, Mithali Raj spoke out in a recent interview. The interview taken by Sportskeeda focussed on the life of the leading Indian lady and she gave insights on how she has approached her life and cricket so far. Mithali has given frank answers and has also presented her assessment of the scenario from the last 19 years.
Beginning her career in the teens, Raj came into the limelight with her double century against England in England in a Test in the year 2002, which was the highest score at the time. From winning the Arjuna Award in the year 2003 to captaining India to World Cup Finals in the years 2005 and 2017, Mithali Raj has been there and done that. She has won the Padma Shri in 2015 and is also the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket.
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Speaking about her beginnings, Mithali said,”My father wanted me to become a cricketer. He wanted me to pursue the sport. It started as a hobby. I enrolled in an academy during summer vacations along with my brother. The coach who was coaching my brother noticed the promise and talent in me and he told my father that I could pursue cricket as a career and guided me.”
The start of Mithali’s international career was a remarkable one. She scored a century on her ODI debut against Ireland in the year 1999. She then soon rose to the captaincy position of the Indian team. Mithali also captained the Indian team in the 2005 World Cup Final. She was at the helm for 2017 World Cup final.
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Remembering the experience, Raj said,”In 2005, I had ex-captains playing under me. In the year 2005, we were under Women’s Cricket Association of India. There was not much coverage. Matches were not televised. The 2005 World Cup was my first tournament as a captain. In the 2017 World Cup, I was the senior most member of the squad. I had a lot of youngsters under me. We now play under BCCI. The matches in 2017 were televised. Personally, I was much more matured as a cricketer and captain in 2017.”
That smirk on my face is hiding a little secret @BoriaMajumdar 😆 unlike many that you’ve revealed in your book! I haven’t finished reading it yet, but I can tell you, cricket lovers, this is a must read- #ElevenGodsAndABillionIndians https://t.co/CSovf8HdcM
— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) April 23, 2018
The difference between Men and Women cricket was glaring but it is closing up. Touching the issue, Mithali reasoned,”Largely because the way we played in the World Cup and the standard of cricket played by each team in the World Cup. The way ICC has managed to promote the event on social media has helped.BCCI is also taking the initiative of organizing more series and India A tours. All these things help in reducing the disparity between men’s cricket and women’s cricket.”
The prospect of Women’s IPL starting up is also floating. Discussing the probability, Raj said,”It might still take a couple of more years as India still does not have the pool of cricketers.Until we have a pool of domestic players, maybe not as good as international players, but they should be good enough to compete. The difference between the domestic players and the international players should not be very evident for the IPL. For that to materialize, it will take some time.”
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Mithali also spoke a lot about her future fans. She also the career advice for girls who are willing to take up the sport as a career. She said, “The people now know a lot about women cricketers and the national squad. Under BCCI, if you play well, you can get contracted, play for your state and earn a living by playing the game of cricket. Earlier there was no recognition, no money. But now it is exactly opposite.
A young girl can definitely take it up as a career. To be successful, the fundamentals will always remain the same i.e. hard work. Always remember that women’s cricket is a separate sport by itself and it should not be compared to men’s cricket.”
