Mithali Raj In For The Win

The captain of the Indian women’s cricket team started batting away baseless, women-centric notions way before empowerment became the most trending hashtag. Hop on as she shares her cricketing journey with Shruti Shukla, from struggle to success, and beyond.

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For most, she is inspirational, but for some, she brings back memories of gully cricket when they got to swing the bat every once in a while. Today, Mithali Raj is synonymous with women’s cricket in our country. With spending over 20 years in the game, Raj has been breaking records and stereotypes alike. Ask her if she indulges in a sport other than cricket, and she promptly says, “None. I am just wired differently; forget playing other sports, I don’t even feel like watching any!”

Eager to find out what went in the making of her personality? A mother who ensured that her daughter stops at nothing, a father who anchored her spirit to soar high, and then higher, all structured strategically in the right direction. Of course, there are the role models that one has, and hers is none other than the God of cricket—Sachin Tendulkar. Read on to get to know the spirit of the cricketer.

How did your journey kick-start?

I began playing at the age of nine. At that point, I was too young to discern that I would play cricket professionally or not. Within a year of getting into the sport, I started playing for my state (Andhra Pradesh) in the under-16 and the under-19 teams, and have not looked back.

At that time, cricket was considered as a menonly sport. How difficult was it to convince yourself and others around you that you could make a difference?