Mithali Raj Opens Up On Her Ugly Fight With Coach Ramesh Powar During T20 World Cup 2018
New Delhi: Veteran India player Mithali Raj recently drew curtains on an illustrious career that lasted for more than two decades. Mithali, one of the all-time greats in women’s cricket, played an instrumental role in popularizing women’s cricket in India. In the process, she became the proud owner of many eye-popping records as well.
Meanwhile, generally very calm, Mithali Raj was involved in a feud with coach Ramesh Powar during the 2018 T20 World Cup. Ramesh Powar dropped Mithali Raj from the Harmanpreet Kaur-led India against England in a crucial semifinal which left Mithali hurt. Later, she got involved into a war of words with Powar.
Mithali made it clear that she has no grudges against Harmanpreet but blasted Powar for mistreating her. Notably, Mithali was upset as Powar wrote a long report, which was mostly about the difficulty he faced in handling Mithali.
Mithali opened up on the issue in an interview to India Today and said that while the incident left her hurt, she was more focussed on her performance.
“When you find yourself in the middle of chaos, you can’t really think straight because you are feeling all sorts of emotions, even if you want to internalise and think from your brain and not from your heart. It would still be like you are hurting, so you will probably never have clarity if you are in chaos.”
“Take some time and get out of it and then see it as a third person to understand how better you can respond to it or is it necessary? Sometimes it is okay to be quiet. It also requires a lot of courage when you are treated unfairly… everybody knows only one side of the story and when you feel that way it is fine because, at the end of the day, I am someone who is goal oriented. I had a purpose – to play cricket at the best optimum level that I could. If I had to achieve that each time when I was to get on to the field and I wanted to give my best, it is not just about my skill but it was also about my mental state of mind.
“I had to be in the best possible space in my mind to go out there and give my best. So, for me to be in that good mental space, I had to overcome or get through that moment of hurt, anger, frustration, irritation and eventually did, because I realised my purpose was not to be involved in that moment for long. The moment had to pass, that is what sport has taught me. In cricket, when you score a hundred, the next day you again have to start from the beginning, you don’t start from hundred. Obviously, that phase did hurt me a little bit but I overcame and that is why I was able to give the performance I did in the last year and half. I was able to overcome those emotions.”
Post the controversy, BCCI stripped Powar of his duties and named WV Raman as the new head coach. Powar, however, returned to take charge of the team in 2021. When asked about her reaction when Powar was reappointed as India coach, Mithali said that it was a call taken by the BCCI and she was not in a position to make any call. “I was a player, I didn’t have the power or call for that.”
Speaking about Mithali’s records, she is the only cricketer to score more than 7000 Women’s ODI runs. She is the first woman to score seven consecutive half-centuries in Women’s ODIs and also holds the record for most 50s in women’s ODIs.
Mithali is the leading run-scorer in women’s cricket and only the second women cricketer after Charlotte Edwards to breach the 10,000 run mark in women’s international cricket.
She also holds the record for most matches as captain in World Cups. Mithali led India in 24 World Cup games, claiming 14 victories, 8 losses and one no result. She is only the third cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar and Javed Miandad to play six World Cups.