India’s One-day International captain Mithali Raj said she hopes win the World Cup trophy that has eluded her during a glittering career as she confirmed that the 2021 edition will be her last.
Raj has played in five editions of the World Cup, having had the first taste of the big-ticket tournament in 2000 as a teenager in New Zealand. Under her captaincy, India reached the final in 2005 and 2017. Incidentally, next’s year’s World Cup is also scheduled to be held in New Zealand.
The high run-getter in ODIs signalled her intent on finishing off in style with question marks over whether the 2021 event will be her final international outing, having bid adieu from T20I cricket two years ago.
“The 2021 event will obviously be my last World Cup, and I hope to see India lift the trophy,” Raj told Aaj Tak. “Apart from being a great achievement for the team, World Cup glory will further advance the cause of women’s cricket in India and we saw that the 2017 World Cup had a positive effect as well. A World Cup win will inspire many more young girls. Hoping that the team goes one step further.”
Also read: Greatest of all time? Mithali Raj’s domination of ODI cricket is unreal
Raj cited the difference in exposure levels that the young players of today have access to.
“We were never a team that just participated,” the 37-year-old said.
“If you see, England or Australia, for many years, have been winning big tournaments. Over the past four years, we have been in the mix and reached the final of the ODI World Cup [in 2017] and the T20 World Cup which concluded recently.
“A lot of credit goes to the players but kudos to the BCCI support staff as well in terms of the preparation leading up to the tournament [T20 World Cup]. These factors play a big role in a team sport,” Raj added.
“There’s a big difference in exposure for women’s cricket since my early days as an international player because when I made my debut as a 16-year-old I learnt a lot of lessons on tour, but someone like Shafali Verma comes in fully prepared, having been exposed to tournaments like the Challenger Trophy with plenty of experience in the domestic setup. For example, the NCA camp [in Bengaluru] wasn’t there when I started out.”
The Indian captain also pointed out that central contracts played a key role in keeping talents invested in the game, and expressed delight at the ever-increasing number of fans watching women’s cricket.
She said: “There were no contracts for women’s players earlier, but we now hold central contracts and BCCI looks after the players. What this does is it ensures that players stay committed to the game instead of hunting different profession because cricket has become a steady source of income.
“It is heartening to see the crowd turning out in large numbers and supporting the team at the stadiums, as we saw in India and in the T20 World Cup final. The girls received a lot of support through social media or how the the matches were viewed on television.”
You can watch the interview here: