‘Requires lot of courage when you're treated unfairly’: Days after retirement, Mithali Raj opens up on feud with coach
Mithali Raj, who is the leading run-scorer among women in international cricket, attained plenty of highs during her career. However, there was phase in 2018 where she found herself embroiled in a controversy involving current head coach Ramesh Powar.
Former India women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj drew curtains on her illustrious career last week. The 39-year-old, who has represented India in over 200 ODIs, announced her decision on Twitter just hours before the Indian squad was announced for the T20I and ODI tour of Sri Lanka.
Mithali, who is the leading run-scorer among women in international cricket, attained plenty of highs during her career. However, there was phase in 2018 where she found herself embroiled in a controversy involving current head coach Ramesh Powar.
The incident sparked after the veteran cricketer was not included in India's playing XI against England at the 2018 T20 World Cup semifinals, after which scenes got ugly between her and the coach. The player, coach also had separate meetings with BCCI official then.
Mithali during an interaction with India Today opened up about the incident, which left her hurt.
"When you find yourself in the middle of chaos, you can't really think straight because you are feeling all sorts of emotions, even if you want to internalise and think from your brain and not from your heart. It would still be like you are hurting, so you will probably never have clarity if you are in chaos.
"Take some time and get out of it and then see it as a third person to understand how better you can respond to it or is it necessary? Sometimes it is okay to be quiet. It also requires a lot of courage when you are treated unfairly... everybody knows only one side of the story and when you feel that way it is fine because, at the end of the day, I am someone who is goal oriented. I had a purpose - to play cricket at the best optimum level that I could. If I had to achieve that each time, when I get on to the field and I wanted to give my best, it is not just about my skill but it was also about my mental state of mind.
"I had to be in the best possible space in my mind to go out there and give my best. So, for me to be in that good mental space, I had to overcome or get through that moment of hurt, anger, frustration, irritation and eventually did, because I realised my purpose was not to be involved in that moment for long. The moment had to pass, that is what sport has taught me. In cricket, when you score a hundred, the next day you again have to start from the beginning, you don't start from hundred. Obviously, that phase did hurt me a little bit but I overcame and that is why I was able to give the performance I did in the last year and half. I was able to overcome those emotions," said Raj.
Since the 2018 T20 World Cup and the present, the Indian women's cricket team has seen one change in the coaching role. Powar was removed from the position following his fallout with Raj and WV Raman replaced him as the head coach.
The former spinner, however, made a return to the position in 2021.