CHENNAI: Tuesday was not just about Mithali Raj’s retirement in T20Is. Sooner or later, this announcement had to come. Now that it has, the Indian women’s team is left with a question: who fills this gap?
Though of late the batswoman was under the scanner for not meeting the demands of the shortest format, her experience was an asset in an otherwise fragile middle-order. With the focus on opener Smriti Mandhana and T20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali was going about her job silently.
With the World T20 in Australia five months away and India yet to win in this format this year — they lost three each against England and New Zealand — there are questions without answers in the middle-order. Performance of this part was hardly up to the mark in these games.
Given that Mithali had recently said she was willing to continue in T20s and was available for selection for the upcoming series against South Africa, she was expected to be around.
Teammates, however, feel Mithali has taken the right decision. Pacer Jhulan Goswami, who played with Mithali for nearly two decades, felt her move should not be questioned. “We cannot comment on whether it’s the right time for her to quit or not,” said Goswami. “She is a better person to take a call on whether she has enough fire to perform. I feel whatever decision she has taken, we must respect that because it is absolutely personal for any player to decide when they retire. We should celebrate (her career), instead.”
What the 36-year-old has achieved in this format is immense — she is India’s highest scorer in T20Is with 2,364 runs and sixth highest overall. Yet, in the final phase of her career, she would be remembered for her tussle with then coach Ramesh Powar during the World T20 in West Indies last November.
Nonetheless, Mithali continues to enjoy the respect of peers. Reema Malhotra, who made her first appearance in the shortest format under Mithali’s captaincy in 2006, recollected her days with the veteran. Under her, India won 17 of the 32 T20 matches before Harmanpreet took over.
“As a skipper, she was cool as cucumber,” the former all-rounder said. “She is a thinking cricketer and understands the importance of planning. She knows the strengths and weaknesses of the other team and chalks out plans. With limited resources, she produced results.”
Raj’s retirement leaves the team facing a new reality. It has to seek capable newcomers who can fill in the void. With the World T20 inching closer, it has to be seen if this bunch comprising mostly of youngsters is ready for next phase: a life without Raj.