NEW DELHI: As India prepare for another ICC event with genuine title hopes, former captain Mithali Raj reflected on how dramatically women’s cricket has changed over the years. There was a time, she recalled, when people did not even know that women played cricket in India.
One of the pioneers of the women’s game, Mithali went on to become the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket. During a glittering career spanning more than two decades, she represented India in 12 Tests, 232 ODIs and 89 T20Is, scoring over 10,000 international runs.
‘People thought I played hockey’
Looking back at her early days in the sport, Mithali said women’s cricket had so little visibility in the 1990s that people often mistook her cricket kitbag for a hockey bag.
Travelling with a large kitbag was a regular part of her routine, but the questions she received reflected the lack of awareness around women’s cricket.
“When I started playing cricket, not many knew women played the sport in the country. People would see my kit bag and ask if I played hockey. Not one person imagined it could belong to a girl cricketer,” Mithali said at an event.
She added that the common perception at the time was that cricket was a sport played only by men because women were rarely seen playing the game in public spaces.
“(The thought process was), ‘We’ve never seen women playing on the streets, so perhaps they don’t play cricket’,” she recalled.
Building the game from scratch
Mithali said the current generation of cricketers enjoys a far stronger support system than players of her era.
Before women’s cricket came under the BCCI in 2007, the sport struggled for resources, recognition and opportunities.
“Like, right now, we do have the BCCI. We came under the BCCI in 2007, so until then it was survival for the sport in the country or for women cricketers,” she said.
According to Mithali, players had to create opportunities for themselves and work tirelessly to attract attention to the sport.
“And when we were playing, we had to create opportunities, we had to work towards creating visibility in the sport… and sometimes it had to do with individual perseverance, individual brilliance that we are able to attract people to come and watch the game.”
Message for Harmanpreet Kaur’s team
With India entering the Women’s T20 World Cup after winning the ODI World Cup last year, Mithali believes adaptability will be one of the biggest factors in determining success.
Drawing from her own experiences, she advised Harmanpreet Kaur’s side to stay flexible and quickly adjust to unfamiliar conditions.
“There are times when we work very hard and feel we’ve done our best, only to face conditions we are not prepared for. If you are aware of your environment and the conditions around you, you will be in a better position to adapt,” she said.
“Adaptation is so important, and that comes from being open-minded, willing to learn, gain new experiences and incorporate them into your training. My advice would be to stay aware and remain open to adapting to new things.”