Not sure how things will be off-field, admits Mithali Raj

01/09/2019

Mithali Raj has admitted that she is uncertain about how things would be off-field after the new forming controversy leading to senior and junior divide in the team and the end of coach Ramesh Powar’s tenure. The ODI skipper also stated that changing other people’s perception is not in her control.

The elimination of the Indian eves from the ICC Women T20 World Cup had opened massive revelations about the lack of camaraderie between the players and the then coach, Powar’s blatant partiality towards Raj. An intense blame game had ensued with a string of mails to BCCI being leaked in public that eventually led to the end of Powar as coach.

However, after BCCI and COA’s decision to no longer keep Powar at the helm, T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and ace batsman Smriti Mandhana had openly advocated to keeping Powar as India’s coach. Raj and Kaur’s differences were always known but this move had brought things in a bad light, and now with dust settling and new coach WV Raman coming to the helm, Raj sounded unsure about how things would be off-field among the players.

“I am not sure how things will be off the field, but as professional cricketers who have been playing for so many years, each one of us understands what it takes to get the team together on the field and perform. Also these things are secondary when you have a job on hand to represent the country at the highest level. I am sure everyone knows that they have to put their heads down and perform,” she said in an interview with Cricbuzz.

The major reason Powar had cited to leave Raj on the bench was her low strike rate as an opener. It was frowned upon by many for Raj became the highest run-getter for the country in T20Is in 2018, scoring 2283 runs in 85 matches, leapfrogging Rohit Sharma (2237) and Virat Kohli (2167). She had started the World Cup well too, making consecutive scores of 56 and 51 against Pakistan and Ireland. When asked about coach’s claims, Raj said it was Powar’s intent to put her down.

“When you have to put someone down, you will find ways to do it, even if that person has some good qualities it gets overshadowed by the dislike of that person. I don't intend to justify anything about my scoring rate as there are people who score at a faster rate but are not that consistent. So it works both ways, but people don't see it that way when they are negative about the player. If you see the percentage of matches that India won with me scoring runs it will be a testimony to my abilities. I play the way I think best suits the situation and the way the team requires me to bat,” she said.

The Indian women’s team was in the news for the all the wrong reasons with COA chiefs Vinod Rai and Diana Edulji still at loggerheads with new coach’s appointment. Raj went on to reveal that it one of the most difficult phases of her career off the field.

“I would like to sum it all up by saying that it was not a very good experience. Definitely, it was the most difficult phase of my career off the field. I don't need to justify after all these years what I have done and what I am as a player. I can't change people's perceptions. It is not in my control. But what is in my control is that as long as I am playing, as long as I take the field as a player or as captain, there will not be any less percentage of commitment,” she added.

Not sure how things will be off-field, admits Mithali Raj

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