Shabhash Mithali

Behind every champion’s success, there is a woman they say. In cricketer Mithali Raj’s case, there were two women and two men. Her mother and her dance teacher, and her father and her coach.

The 39-year-old, who is considered to be the greatest woman cricketer ever, recalls how her mother, Leela, would wake up at 3 am to prepare and pack her meals for the entire day for her, as she had to leave for cricket camp at 4.30 am and from there to school and would return home only around 7 p,m, after evening practice. “If my homework was always up to date, it was thanks to my mother as I had to be in bed by 8 pm,” says Raj, who despite a gruelling cricket schedule, earned a graduate degree.

QUEENSTOWN, NEW ZEALAND - FEBRUARY 24: Indian player Mithali Raj celebrates her half century during game five in the One Day International series between the New Zealand White Ferns and India at John Davies Oval on February 24, 2022 in Queenstown, New Zealand. (Photo by James Allan/Getty Images) | Photo Credit: James Allan

Her dance teacher, Ananda Shankar Jayanth, was an early inspiration. “I used to look up to her as she had the aura of a strong independent woman. She drove a big car — rare in the early 90s for a woman to do so — had cracked the IAS exam, ran a dance academy, took care of her family, all through hard work and determination,” says Mithali. The focus and footwork that Raj brings to her cricket are derived from her Bharatnatyam lessons, which she took from when she was seven. “The endurance level, synchronisation of beats with footwork and concentration in dance had application in cricket,” she says. She quit dance when she was in X standard to devote herself entirely to cricket.

Her father, Dorai Raj, a former Indian Air Force employee, who had joined a bank in Hyderabad, would take her to the cricket academy before dawn broke, and sit through many of her matches. “He decided to forego his promotion at the bank as that would mean moving out of Hyderabad,” Mithali says.

As for coach Sampath Kumar, it was under his watchful eyes and tutelage that she progressed from the grounds of Keyes High School, where she studied, to the national arena when she was hardly 14. “Sampath sir showed me the dream that I can play for India. I was very young – so, for me the decision-makers were my parents and my coach,” she says.

But while Mithali enjoyed a strong support system, it was her prodigious talent that led her to becoming the highest run scorer in international cricket. Her copybook stroke play, spectacular cover drives, and graceful stance earned her the title of Lady Sachin from fans all over the world.

Mithali Raj, Cricketer, receiving the Iconic ChangeMaker award with her speech. | Photo Credit: BIJOY GHOSH

She is the only woman cricketer to have amassed more than 7,000 runs in One Day International matches, she has scored the most number of half centuries in ODIs, and in 2018 she became the first player from India, male or female, to score 2,000 runs in T20 International matches. The right-handed batter played for India between 1999 and 2022 and captained the side for 18 of those years. She is also the only Indian captain — male or female — to have led the country to two 50-over World Cup finals.

And, most importantly, Mithali’s exploits on the field led to a whole generation of girls taking up the sport, as she lifted women’s cricket from relative obscurity and helped shine the spotlight on it. From the Arjuna Award (in 2003) to the Padma Shri in 2015 and the Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer of the World in 2017 to the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021, Mithali has got every accolade a sportsperson in India could aspire.

Indian women’s cricket team poses for a group photograph during a press conference in Mumbai on July 25, 2017. India lost to England in the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 held in London. Photo: Vijay Bate | Photo Credit: VIJAY BATE

She has also got the rare honour of having a Bollywood biopic — Shabash Mithu — made on her life, but Mithali wears the achievements lightly, modest to a fault. She says it took her a long while to wrap her head around the fact that a production house wanted to make a film around her life. “But the movie for me was a way of appreciating and acknowledging the role played by our seniors — the current generation enjoys the perks of the hardships that our seniors endured. The journey of women’s cricket was very difficult,” she says. But she could not see the film’s shooting. “I was too busy playing,” she says simply. The game is always first for this Indian Railways employee — whatever the level of the game, even a league game — she turns up fully switched on.

The turning point

While she did enjoy good support at home, and had some strong friendships to back her, it was by no means a smooth journey. The setbacks only served to make Mithali more determined. In 1997, when she was 14, she was picked for the Indian team. “I was not picked in the final 15 as I was considered too young,” she says. That spurred her to practice rigorously and improve her performance in the two years before the next selection. “I scored a lot of runs in the under-16 and under-19 — playing in all age groups.”

The turning point, she says was in 2000, when the selection matches for the World Cup in New Zealand were held. These coincided with her class XII Board exams. “My parents wanted me to play the selection matches, but I wanted to give my boards. My parents convinced me to play. That was an important decision as it was a big risk to let go my XII Board, with no assurance of selection. But since I was sacrificing my studies, I was determined that I must not just break into the 15 member team but be in the playing eleven.” She made it, and the rest is history.

Evolution as a leader

When she was barely 23, Mithali got the captaincy of the cricket team. Looking back, says ruefully that at that age captaincy felt a power trip. “I felt I had the power to do everything.” It’s in the later years, she says, she matured and treated captaincy as a service. “As a captain, I understood my duty was to serve my team, and my country,” she says.

India women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj at the training session in Hyderabad. Photo: V_V_Subrahmanyam | Photo Credit: SUBRAHMANYAM VV

Yes, there were controversies — the spat with head coach Ramesh Powar during the 2018 T20 World Cup in the Caribbean or the differences with Harmanpreet Kaur — but she says all this is history and she does not want to talk about it.

During Mithali’s time at the crease, Indian women’s cricket witnessed seismic change. However, the struggle for respect and cash continued. The BCCI took over the administration of the women’s game in 2005, appointing good coaches and mainstreaming the game. Mithali and her teammates helped break barriers and catalyse the growth of women’s cricket so much so that now a Women’s IPL league is being talked about.

WORCESTER, ENGLAND - JULY 03: Mithali Raj of India bats of India during the 3rd Women's One Day International between England and India at New Road on July 03, 2021 in Worcester, England. (Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images) | Photo Credit: RYAN PIERSE

While announcing her retirement, Mithali said she would love to get into the administration of cricket, since that’s where her experience can help grow the game further. But ask her any more about it, she prefers to hold her cards close to her chest. “I am a sports officer in the Indian Railways. That is keeping me busy for now,” she says. Also, her priority is to address all her neglected injuries from years of playing.

A fully-fit Mithali could become as big an asset for Indian cricket off the field as she was on it.