'Dravid was quite emotional. Thought how it'll be when I retire...': Mithali recalls when she first considered retiring

When asked about her biggest legacy, Mithali said she might have normalised girls playing cricket on the streets

Mithali Raj, the all-time leading run-scorer in women's One-day Internationals and one of the most recognised figures in Indian cricket, announced her retirement last week. The 39-year-old bid adieu to a glittering spell in world cricket that comprised 7,805 ODI runs including seven centuries in 232 matches.

Rahul Dravid and Mithali Raj

Raj, who began her career in 1999 in a One-day International versus Ireland, represented India in 12 Tests and 89 T20Is. In Tests, Mithali scored 699 runs in 12 matches with a brilliant average of 43.68. She also gathered 2,364 runs in 89 T20Is.

She last captained India against South Africa in the Women's World Cup in March when the team failed to make the semi-finals of the 50-over showpiece. Her trailblazing journey spanning over 23 years may have not ended with a World Cup triumph but Mithali goes down as one of the most accomplished players in the game.

In an interview with PTI, Mithali revealed she first thought about retirement after batting legend Rahul Dravid hung up his boots in 2012. “Honestly, the first time the thought of my retirement came into mind was when Rahul Dravid retired (in 2012). I saw his press conference, he was quite emotional and I thought then how it will be when I retire. Will I feel that emotion? And there were few other retirements that happened after that and I hoped that I wouldn't be that emotional," she said.

In October 2019, Mithali, at 36, became the first woman to complete two decades in ODI cricket. She knew that the 2022 World Cup was her last one.

"And there were few other retirements that happened after that and I hoped that I wouldn't be that emotional. I was very clear in my mind that the World Cup was going to be my last. But I am not someone who takes decisions while I am going through a lot of emotions."

"Then I went to the domestic T20 event and realised that I did not have the same passion and thought it was my time (to retire). I am a goal-oriented person. World Cup was my goal. After that, I did not see myself for the next four years so I thought this is the right time to retire. Sometimes you feel the impact of things after a while. So it still hasn’t sunk in," she further added.

It was in 1999 when a 16-year-old Mithali scored an unbeaten 114 on debut. She signed off with the tag of 'greatest Indian women's batter'. When asked about her biggest legacy, Mithali said she might have normalised girls playing cricket on the streets

“I have been asked about my legacy a lot but never came up with a good answer. I think I probably would have normalised girls playing cricket on the street and enrolling into academies. It was not very common when I started playing. They used to say 'we don't take girls in our academies, you take them elsewhere'.”