HYDERABAD: It is a recognition for her outstanding track record in women’s cricket, but Mithali Raj was surprised to know that she will be one of the recipients of the Padma Shri award this year. “I’m surprised, but at the same time, happy to be honoured with this award,” said the 32-year-old.
Ever since Mithali made her debut in 1999, she has taken batting to new highs. She is the number one batsman in the world according to rankings. With 4888 runs from 153 internationals, Raj has one double century in the ten Tests that she has played so far. “That we hardly play Test matches does hurt me. We barely get to play international matches, forget about Tests,” said Raj, who owes her rise and success to late coach Sampath Kumar.
“I always remember him (Sampath) as he taught me how to play good cricket,” she opined.
Blessed with solid technique and sound temperament, Raj has been the backbone of Indian women’s cricket along with Jhulan Goswami. She has also often been described as the wall of Indian women’s batting.”I love batting as it’s always challenging to score runs. I’ve succeeded to a great extent, because I shut off from the rest of the world, once I walk into the crease,” Mithali reveals.
The Jodhpur-born cricketer feels women’s cricket has a come a long way. “There were very few girls taking to cricket when I started out. Today, I’m proud that many young girls want to make a career out of this game. They’re willing to bend their back, work the extra hours and work on their fitness. I think in a few years Indian cricket should be one of the top four in the world. That is my biggest dream.”
Mithali revealed that finishing runner-up in the 2005 World Cup was one of the best moments of her career so far. “That was the time, people came to know women in India can play good cricket. People began to follow women’s cricket.”
Winning a Test match against England in England in 2007 too should be considered as one of the golden moments of Indian women’s cricket, according to the national team captain. “We created ripples in 2007 when we beat the mighty England in their own den. We repeated that feat last year. We have the talent and the team to beat the best in the world. But what we lack is good international competition. If these young players get the exposure, they can win matches against the big teams like England or Australia. Self-belief is very important,” Mithali said.