Mithali Raj has been the captain of Indian women's cricket team for over a decade, but unlike her male counterparts -the Dhonis and the Kohlis -she hasn't enjoyed the fan following and the media hype that surrounds an Indian cricketer.However, things have changed this year. As she led her team to the finals of the ICC Women's World Cup in England, for the first time, the nation sat up and watched women's cricket. Names which, till then, had been alien to anybody but hardcore cricket fans became household and the game -which had been a poor cousin of men's cricket-found new followers. Mithali speaks to us about how the World Cup has affected the game in India, why online trolls don't bother her, and why grassroots development is more important than a Women's IPL right now.
A lot has changed since 2005.Back then, not much was written about our journey because the matches were not aired and not many knew about the progress of the team or the profile of the players. We didn't even have the Indian media there and much of the reporting was done based on the scoresheets, not actual presence. The change started from 2009 when ICC started televising the games, starting with the 2009 World Cup. This World Cup, things changed because all our matches were televised and ICC marketed the sport very well on social media because fans are really active there. They also see that the standard of women's cricket has improved since 2005.Teams are scoring 300 now and it has become fast-paced.
(Laughs) Oh obviously, it is still there! Probably it will be like that for a long time, until we get our hands on a trophy .
I don't have long-term goals. I look at the next series and the build up for next year's T20 World Cup. Right now, 2021 is not my target. Practically, I did mention that it would be my last World Cup considering I'm 34 and there are still four years to go for the next one. Who has seen four years? A lot of things change from one World Cup to the next -the team dynamics, my own fitness. I'm looking to play for another two-three years but if I happen to be playing and fit after three years, obviously I will try to push one more year. So I don't rule it out. But if I participate in the 2021 World Cup, I will surprise myself more than anybody .
There have been so many instances from before this World Cup while travelling when people would come up to me and ask where Mithali Raj was (laughs). But recently, after we were returning to India and we were at the airport, two-three guys came up to me with chocolates. They said these are for your team as they have done really well.They never asked me if I was Mithali. In fact, one of them told me that he had been following women's cricket purely because he had been following me as a player. That was a big compliment because when I started playing, not many knew or cared about women's cricket.
I've never lived my life that way and I would never live my life based on what people think. Had I thought that way, I would never have picked the bat in the first place in the 90s.
I think we need to have more girls taking up the sport. That should be the priority.Grassroot level accessibility is very important because you need to have girls playing at different levels -U-16, U-19.IPL-like format will come in, maybe in two-three years' time, and that will definitely help narrow down the gap between the domestic and international standards. But before that, grassroot development needs to take place. In women's cricket, a young player takes a year or two to get used to the international standard because we don't get as many matches. So, something like an IPL would push these players too early to that level of the game before they are even prepared for it.
In India, sports can make a woman financially secure and independent, which means that she can take decisions pertaining to her life more confidently without having to worry about anyone. When you are financially secure, you are more confident about fighting for your decisions, which every girl in India has to do at some point.
You led the Indian team to the finals of the Women's World Cup this year. Not many people realise, but this is the second time you have done that. You were the captain of the team that was again the runner-up in the 2005 World Cup. Why was there no similar media hype around the performance then?
A lot has changed since 2005.Back then, not much was written about our journey because the matches were not aired and not many knew about the progress of the team or the profile of the players. We didn't even have the Indian media there and much of the reporting was done based on the scoresheets, not actual presence. The change started from 2009 when ICC started televising the games, starting with the 2009 World Cup. This World Cup, things changed because all our matches were televised and ICC marketed the sport very well on social media because fans are really active there. They also see that the standard of women's cricket has improved since 2005.Teams are scoring 300 now and it has become fast-paced.
So is there still heartbreak over the loss in the final?
(Laughs) Oh obviously, it is still there! Probably it will be like that for a long time, until we get our hands on a trophy .
Does that thought inspire you to play in the next World Cup in 2021?
I don't have long-term goals. I look at the next series and the build up for next year's T20 World Cup. Right now, 2021 is not my target. Practically, I did mention that it would be my last World Cup considering I'm 34 and there are still four years to go for the next one. Who has seen four years? A lot of things change from one World Cup to the next -the team dynamics, my own fitness. I'm looking to play for another two-three years but if I happen to be playing and fit after three years, obviously I will try to push one more year. So I don't rule it out. But if I participate in the 2021 World Cup, I will surprise myself more than anybody .
When did you first realise that after the World Cup, you were suddenly a household name?
There have been so many instances from before this World Cup while travelling when people would come up to me and ask where Mithali Raj was (laughs). But recently, after we were returning to India and we were at the airport, two-three guys came up to me with chocolates. They said these are for your team as they have done really well.They never asked me if I was Mithali. In fact, one of them told me that he had been following women's cricket purely because he had been following me as a player. That was a big compliment because when I started playing, not many knew or cared about women's cricket.
With your growth in popularity, there is also increased attention on you on social media.And with that have come comments on the way you dress, body-shaming. How much does that affect or bother you?
It never bothered me because I have faced far more difficult situations in my life before this. I didn't want to give my time and energy to some frivolous trolls. But I was surprised, because none of the people close to me or my management found anything objectionable (about my clothes).Social media is where everyone can express their opinions and as much as they have the right to do that, celebrities have the same rights, too. Even we can do what we want and post what we want to.
So, you do not go for any moderation or dilution in your social media persona to avoid such comments?
I've never lived my life that way and I would never live my life based on what people think. Had I thought that way, I would never have picked the bat in the first place in the 90s.
There is now talk of a Women's IPL. That will bring money into the game and possibly raise its profile, too. But will it hinder grassroots development?
I think we need to have more girls taking up the sport. That should be the priority.Grassroot level accessibility is very important because you need to have girls playing at different levels -U-16, U-19.IPL-like format will come in, maybe in two-three years' time, and that will definitely help narrow down the gap between the domestic and international standards. But before that, grassroot development needs to take place. In women's cricket, a young player takes a year or two to get used to the international standard because we don't get as many matches. So, something like an IPL would push these players too early to that level of the game before they are even prepared for it.
Talking about women's sports as a tool for empowering girls, apart from giving the girls role models such as yourself, what is it that sports gives to young girls in India that they haven't had before?
In India, sports can make a woman financially secure and independent, which means that she can take decisions pertaining to her life more confidently without having to worry about anyone. When you are financially secure, you are more confident about fighting for your decisions, which every girl in India has to do at some point.
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