On Saturday, the India women’s team captain provided a big proof that she remains at the top of the game with a match-winning 75* off 86 balls against hosts England in the third ODI
Mumbai: At 38, Mithali Raj is at an age where an athlete’s reflexes start to slow down, eye-sight weakens and recovery from a game becomes a struggle. But the India batting legend is showing no signs of slowing down. The hunger to perform remains undiminished.
India's Mithali Raj on Saturday became the highest run-getter in women’s cricket across formats, surpassing former England captain Charlotte Edwards’ tally of 10,272 runs. (AP)
On Saturday, the India women’s team captain provided a big proof that she remains at the top of the game with a match-winning 75* off 86 balls against hosts England in the third ODI.
During the innings, she became the highest run-getter in women’s cricket across formats, surpassing former England captain Charlotte Edwards’ tally of 10,272 runs. She averages a staggering 51.80 in the 50-over format.
“I am still very passionate to go out there, be there in the middle and win games for India. I know there is still room for improvements in terms of my batting and that is something I am working on... There are certain dimensions I would like to add to my batting...” Mithali said at the virtual post-match press conference.
Apart from fitness, the key to maintaining the level of performance at Mithali’s age is maximum results with minimum effort. Competing against dynamic young players who are faster and fitter, a great understanding of their game in terms of technical excellence is what gives them the edge. It boils down to sound basics.
“Her basics are very strong. Even if she makes a mistake, she is able to know she has made a mistake, so rectification is immediately done,” says former Hyderabad all-rounder Jyoti Prasad, who spotted the 10-year-old daughter of his office colleague and gave her the first cricket lessons. She then worked under the late Sampath Kumar to rise to national attention. Prasad recalled how a strong base was laid very early. “For one-and-a-half years I made her work only on the basics when she was with me.”
“If the foundation is good you can carry on for as long as you are fit. Mithali is very compact… (something) I have seen with VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sunil Gavaskar… They may fail for two, three games because of the conditions but otherwise they can perform every game,” said the 69-year-old former Hyderabad team coach, who guided a teenaged Laxman till his Ranji Trophy debut.
Mithali was under pressure after she was dropped for the semifinal of the 2018 T20 World Cup in the West Indies. “It wasn’t an easy journey. It had its trials and challenges. I always believed that trials have a purpose. There were times when I wanted to give up for various reasons but something kept me going and here I’m; 22 years of international cricket but the hunger for runs have never dried up,” said Mithali, who marked her debut in 1999 with a hundred against Ireland.
She had wanted to retire after the 2018 World Cup controversy when her spat with coach Ramesh Powar became public. Powar, who was replaced, is back at the helm.
“She was briefed, told not to worry because your performance will show,” says Prasad. “After reaching that stage, suppose if you had commented on someone else, it would have created a lot of problems. Once you start getting runs no one can drop you. We told her “you have to speak with the bat”. There is a difference between batting and bowling. Batting is entirely in one’s hands. As a bowler, you depend on others, like the captain has to give you bowling at the right time.”
Mithali, who retired from T20 in 2019, had been under pressure as captain after series defeats against South Africa and England. She has hinted that the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup, to be held in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3, will be her swansong.
Saturday’s performance shows she is good to be there on merit.
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