Mithali Raj makes apt move to prepare for Women's ODI World Cup

Mithali Raj stated that the reason that she is retiring from the shortest format is to prepare herself for the 2021 One Day World Cup

When the time is right, you just know it and act accordingly. A similar thing happened to the former Indian women's cricket team T20I skipper and an expert batswoman Mithali Raj on Tuesday evening when she announced her retirement from the shortest format of the game. Exactly sixteen years ago, a just turned 19-year-old girl marked her presence in the Indian women's cricket Test team and everyone was spellbound with her playing capacity as she displayed a scintillating knock of 214 runs against England in Taunton. And after that, there was no stopping for this girl and she has surely come a long way and has catered to the country with her brilliance.

After her debut in 1999, Mithali Raj has become India's most dependable batswoman for the team. And not only she is an outstanding batswoman, but she is also a great leader too. She knows how to maintain the balance in the team and has the tricks to score runs in crunch situations with consistency.

Preparing for World Cup dream

In a press release issued by the BCCI, Mithali Raj stated that the reason that she is retiring from the shortest format is to prepare herself for the 2021 One Day World Cup. She quoted, "It remains my dream to win a World Cup for my country and I want to give it my best. I thank the BCCI for their continuous support and wish the Indian T20 team good luck as they prepare for the home series against South Africa Women."

There were already speculations of Mithali's retirement after she was excluded from various T20 series in recent months. This is because the BCCI is more focused on giving a chance to the youngsters so that the team remains consistent and steady.

Mithali will continue to be India's captain for the one-day format. The 37-year-old last played her T20 international match against England in Guwahati where she scored 30 runs in 32 balls. Maithili Raj is the only Indian women to reach 2000 runs mark in T20 Internationals. The records she has made till date are commendable and the younger generation will take years to break them. Looking at her T20 International career, then the player has played 89 matches in which she has scored 2364 runs. Her highest score in the shortest format was 97 with an average of 37.92.

Mithali Raj had captained India in 32 T20Is, including three women's T20 World Cups in 2012 (Sri Lanka), 2014 (Bangladesh) and 2016 (India). Mithali Raj had also captained the Indian side when India played its first-ever women's T20 International in Derby in 2006.

The decision that the player has taken to put down the gloves for the shortest format is somehow correct and focus is on the bigger picture as the World Cup is approaching. Another reason is that the player is already 37-year-old, therefore, there is a major age factor that is going to play the role. Not only this, the World Cup will surely be Mithali's last major tournament as there are higher chances that she will retire by the next one.

How the team would adjust without Mithali?

Mithali Raj's presence in the team is like a Banyan tree, who shelters and protects every member in every situation. She has been in the team for over 20 years, which means her presence and literally her soul is deeply rooted with the team and she knows how to take everyone along forward. Mithali's presence actually feels like how it is for the men's team when MS Dhoni is around. But it is always said that change is the only constant, therefore, the team will surely get adjusted under Hamarpreet Kaur, who took the captaincy in November 2018. The transition from Mitahli to Hamarpreet has been smooth just like how it happened when Dhoni gave the reins to Virat Kohli of the test team.

When Mithali Raj announced her retirement, the Twitter went all upside-down. For the fans, it was an unfathomable idea of not seeing Mithali in the T20I, but it is the truth, she will not be there anymore. Twitterati poured in best wishes including all the cricketers and celebrities. This gesture shows that her presence will be missed in the T20I games. But the era of Mitahli Raj is still not over as the important event is approaching and she is determined to bring the World Cup home this time and she is surely working towards the goal with a lot of focus.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are the personal views of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)