Odisha News, Odisha Latest news, Odisha Daily - OrissaPOST
  • Home
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Feature
  • Timeout
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Sci-Tech
  • Others
    • COVID-19
    • Today’s Pic
  • Home
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Feature
  • Timeout
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Sci-Tech
  • Others
    • COVID-19
    • Today’s Pic
No Result
View All Result
OrissaPOST - Odisha Latest news, English Daily -
No Result
View All Result

Mithali Raj takes a walk down memory lane: This is what she says

Agencies
Updated: June 16th, 2022, 07:30 IST
in Feature, IPL, Sports
0
Mithali Raj
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on WhatsAppShare on Linkedin

The feeling of being called a ‘former India captain’ is yet to sink for Mithali Raj. She hasn’t exactly gone through an entire gamut of emotions after calling time on her 23-year illustrious career last week.    Mithali Raj knew her time had come after the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand. However, since she doesn’t like to take big decisions in a jiffy, the 39-year-old waited for couple of months. Then she announced her retirement.

Mithali is inarguably Indian women’s cricket’s biggest icon. In this interview she talks about a lot of issues. Excerpts:

Q: It has been a week since you announced your retirement. Has it sunk in yet?

Mithali: Honestly, the first time the thought of my retirement came into mind when Rahul Dravid retired (in 2012). I saw his press conference, he was quite emotional. 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. 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 (which she did in the World Cup).

Then I went to the domestic T20 event and realised that I did not have the same passion. So 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 doing anything for the next four years, so I thought this is the right time to retire. Sometime you feel the impact of things after a while. So it still hasn’t sunk in.

Q: Millions of girls look up to you for what you did on the field. What according to you has been your biggest legacy?       

Mithali: I have been asked about my legacy a lot but never came up with a good answer. I think I probably have normalised girls playing cricket on the streets 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’.

Now there is no academy which can call itself an all exclusive for boys, which doesn’t allow girls to play. That gives me a lot of satisfaction. The academy I went to, which I was told was a boys’ academy, the same place now has so many girls.

Q: From travelling in unreserved trains to travelling around the world in business class, you saw it all in the pre and post BCCI era in women’s cricket. How do you look back at both the worlds?

Mithali: Both had its own charm. I also had a lot fun in the pre BCCI era. It had a very different feel to it though resources were hardly there but there were other aspects of the sport we really enjoyed.

We were in obscurity, nobody knew about us but I still had so much fun in that period. When the BCCI took women’s cricket under its wings, professionalism came into the game. BCCI brought stability, security and growth into women’s cricket.

Q: It seems even in adversity, you found ways to have fun back then?

Mithali: Well, we were all living in dormitories. If we were playing a tournament in a school and they used to be in the summers, sometimes we would occupy the class room and stay there. You always found ways to enjoy sport even though the circumstances were not great. There was nothing like rich and poor kids, all of us were in the same bus. There was so much of sharing among each other because there were no cell phones and no social media. We only had our teammates to bank on.

Now we stay in five-star hotels. As soon the match is over, everyone goes back to their rooms or they are on the phone. If I have to strike a conversation, most of the girls, I find them using their phones. The minute the game gets over they are all on the phone (laughs).

I am not saying it is bad; it is just times have changed. It was more carefree back then.

Mithali Raj

Q: Is there scope for bringing more professionalism to the sport?

Mithali: With every series being televised, with women’s IPL coming up, it will get only better. The franchisees will have its own set up and the players will benefit from playing in a professional league, rubbing shoulders with international stars.

Q: Would it be fair to say that the Indian team’s graph has gone downwards after reaching the high in 2017?

Mithali: Every good team, once it finishes the World Cup, they start to rebuild for the next edition. They find players for specific roles and give them exposure and all that. A year’s loss due to the pandemic did not help. But still I would not give that as an excuse for our performance in the World Cup.

But you must realise when we induct certain new players in the team sometimes the transition is smooth and sometimes it takes a while. It is not easy for teams to step out of long quarantines and give their best.

From South Africa series last year our spin department has been at times indifferent. That has really dented us because we rely heavily on them.

Q: There were reports coming out of New Zealand during the World Cup that all was not well in the dressing room?    

Mithali: When you play a team sport, there will be differences and disagreements. It is very natural. They all want to do good, but everyone has a different opinion.

But as captain, even if things are difficult I cannot lose my cool, my vision for the team has to be clear. In allowing my emotions to guide, I would not end up focussing on things I want the team to work on.

Even though people I think I am quiet, passive, I am not aggressive but composure has helped me to focus on things that are important and maintain a sense of calm in the team to help players focus on what is important.

Q: Looking ahead, who in your opinion are the players who will end up serving India for long?

Mithali: Kiran Navgire is one to watch out for. She did well in the domestic T20s and Women’s Challenge. In the Indian team, you have Yastika Bhatia, Richa Ghosh and Shafali Verma. S Meghana has done well in the few chances she has got.

If you want your bench to be stronger, you need to give the young players a chance to grow.

Q: Would you be open to playing in Women’s IPL next year?

Mithali: It is still too early to decide. We will see.

Q: Any plans to get into cricket administration or start a business of your own?

Mithali: I have certain things in my mind. There are certain offers but like always I will choose something that I find fulfilling and connected to the sport.

Tags: BCCIcricketeriplMithali Rajretirementworld cup
ShareTweetSendShare
Suggest A Correction

Enter your email to get our daily news in your inbox.

Related Posts

Pat Cummins

We’ve plenty of options in spin department, says Pat Cummins

February 4, 2023
Indians need to shun fear, come forward for early cancer screening: Doctors

World Cancer Day: Indians need to shun fear, come forward for early cancer screening, says Doctors

February 4, 2023

IND vs AUS: Nathan Lyon needs to take pages from Erapalli Prasanna, says Greg Chappell

February 4, 2023
Cameron Green

Cameron Green has an outside chance of playing Nagpur Test, says Andrew McDonald

February 4, 2023

IND vs AUS: Alex Carey cautious about reverse-swing threat ahead of spin test

February 4, 2023
Dipa Karmakar

Dipa Karmakar announces settlement of doping case over inadvertent intake of banned substance

February 4, 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

OrissaPOST epaper Sunday POST OrissaPOST epaper

Click Here: Plastic Free Odisha

Plastic Free Odisha

Elina Samantray, Actress

Elina Samantray calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website www.orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

August 29, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Hockey Player Dilip Tirkey

Hockey Player Dilip Tirkey supports a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Miteish Khimji,Entrepreneur

Miteish Khimji supports a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Naveen Jindal-Enterpreneur

Naveen Jindal support a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you?  *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your Photos/Selfie ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Actor Sritam Das

Actor Sritam Das supports a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

National School Kujang

National School students Kujang Jagatsinghpur district support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Valena Valentina-Karate Player

Karate player Valena Valentina calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Debashish Mohanty-Former Indian Cricketer

Cricketer Debashish Mohanty supports  a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Bhubaneswar Bar Association Lawyer Liberty Trust

Bhubaneswar Bar Association Lawyer Liberty Trust supports plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Swaraj Barik, Actor

Swaraj Barik calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website www.orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

August 29, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Arindam Roy, Actor

Arindam Roy supports call for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website www.orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook ...

August 29, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Sundargarh Public School students

Sundargarh Public School students support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Akash Dasnayak, Actor

Akash Dasnayak, Actor supports a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Anubhav Mohanty, Actor

Anubhav Mohanty supports call for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website www.orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook ...

August 29, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Bijay Mohanty, Actor

Actor Bijay Mohanty calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Cuttack New Stewart School Students & Principal

Cuttack New Stewart School students and Principal call for a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website ...

August 29, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Padmashree Aruna Mohanty-Odissi Dancer

Padmashree Odissi Dancer Aruna Mohanty calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Gandhi Science Higher Secondary School in Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar

Gandhi Science Higher Secondary School students of Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar support a plastic free Odisha. Do you?   *Visit our website ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Members of All Ride Bicycle

Members of All Ride Bicycle supports a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Angul Govt. College Students

Angul Govt. College Students support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Gandhi College Plus III science students of Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar

Gandhi Plus III science students of Khandagiri, Bhubaneswar support a plastic free Odisha. Do you?   *Visit our website orissapost.com. ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Archita Sahu, Actress

Archita Sahu support a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Deepak Kumar-Actor

Deepak Kumar support a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you support the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Korei college students

Korei college students support plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your ...

October 2, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Actress Bhoomika Dash

Actress Bhoomika Dash calls for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

IMT Pharmacy College-Puri

IMT Pharmacy College students call for a Plastic Free Odisha. Have You Joined the movement? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Srikumar Misra-Entrepreneur

Srikumar Misra supports a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

D.A.V Public School-Kalinga Nagar

D.A.V Public School Students, support Plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Sudarsan Pattnaik,Sand Artist

Sudarsan Pattnaik support a Plastic Free Odisha. Do you?  *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) *Post your Photos/Selfie ...

August 30, 2018
Plastic Free Odisha

Sundargarh Public School teachers

Sundargarh Public School teachers support a plastic free Odisha. Do you? *Visit our website orissapost.com. Like,Share,Subscribe,Recommend our Facebook Page Orissapost(@OrissaPOST.Here.Now) ...

October 2, 2018

Archives

Editorial

Yogi’s Ambitions

February 4, 2023

Uttar Pradesh’s senior bureaucrats led by the state’s Finance Minister & Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Suresh Kumar Khanna visited the...

Read more

Tel Aviv Tightrope

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry hold a press conference in Cairo, Egypt, January 30, 2023. (PC: AP)
February 1, 2023

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s ongoing visit to Israel is taking place in a period of intense crisis aggravated...

Read more

Ukraine’s Twin Wars

Local residents remove debris from a house of their neighbour damaged by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in the town of Hlevakha, outside Kyiv, Ukraine [Valentyn Ogirenko/Reuters]
January 31, 2023

As military and humanitarian aid worth billions of dollars keep pouring into Ukraine during its ongoing war against Russia, there...

Read more

Now Adani

Adani Group
January 30, 2023

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion in Rajasthan January 28 that several attempts were made to “break India geographically, culturally, socially...

Read more
  • Home
  • State
  • Metro
  • National
  • International
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Feature
  • Sports
  • Sci-Tech
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Career
Developed By Ratna Technology

© 2020 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST

  • Home
  • Metro
  • State
  • National
  • International
  • IPL
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Feature
  • Opinion
  • Sci-Tech
  • COVID-19
  • Today’s Pic
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Career
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

© 2020 All rights Reserved by OrissaPOST