Mithali Raj’s involvement in her last ever World Cup match ended when she was run out in an unfortunate manner on 17, with India at 43/2, needing 229 to win their first title. After her dismissal, India built two fifty-run partnerships, but fell only an agonising nine runs short to finish an otherwise splendid campaign in England as runners-up.
After the match, the India captain asserted that she was proud of the way the team had risen from the verge of elimination to reach the final after a commanding performance against New Zealand and Australia. “These girls have really set the platform in the current generations for the girls and they should be really proud of themselves for doing that,” she said after the match.
But despite the overwhelmingly positive response, it will take some time to come to terms with the narrow loss, especially for the captain who got the runner-up medal for the second time. The 34-year-old admitted that she broke down during the team meeting after the match. “The Cup was ours for the taking but we couldn’t complete that final step,” Raj was quoted as saying in an interview with The Times of India. “It will take a while for me to make peace with it. Maybe, it was not written in our destiny.”
She spoke about what was going through her mind as India collapsed in the last seven overs after being in a relatively comfortable position. “I had my hopes till Shikha [Pandey] got run out. I think it was the inexperience of playing on such a big stage on such a big occasion. Cricket experts always talk about keeping things simple. But what I have figured out in my long career is that the hardest thing to do in a crisis is to keep things simple,” she added.
Looking forward, the captain mentioned that perhaps a regular sports psychologist who can travel with the team could be valuable addition. But she insisted that she doesn’t blame anyone for the loss.
Talking about her bizarre runout on 17, Raj revealed what exactly happened and what the cameras didn’t show. “Actually, what happened was my spike got stuck on the pitch,” she said. “Punam [Raut] called me for a run and I responded. Before I reached the half way, this thing [spike getting stuck] happened and I don’t think the TV cameras captured it. I couldn’t push myself hard and couldn’t even make an effort to dive. I was helpless. I was gutted.”
But in the end, there was a bright side to it all – the unprecedented reach and following women’s cricket got in the country thanks to India’s spectacular run. Raj spoke about how in her 20-year career she has never experienced such a big following.
“People have seen the quality of the games and have started appreciating us,” she said. “Women’s cricket is now being seen in a different light. It’s just not just cricket lovers but even random people are acknowledging us now. Broadcast of women’s matches has made a huge difference. People are talking about us on social media. I have been playing for over 20 years now but I have never experienced such a big following.”
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