On September 3, Mithali Raj, former Twenty20 International captain of Indian women’s team has announced her retirement from the shortest format of the game. Mithali said that she would like to focus more on the 50-over format, precisely the 2021 World Cup.
The legends bid adieu
Since her T20I debut in 2006 Mithali has represented India in 89 matches and scored 2,364 runs at an average of 37.52, including 17 half-centuries so far. Her top score, an unbeaten 97, came in an Asia Cup match against Malaysia last year. She captained the side in three ICC Women’s World T20s in 2012, 2014, and 2016. She was also the first Indian to score 2,000 runs in the shortest format and currently has more T20I runs than any other woman from India. She played her last T20I against England earlier this year in March where she remained unbeaten with 30 off 32 balls.
A matter of time
The 36-year old also stands 21st in the list of most appearances in T20 Internationals, with only Harmanpreet Kaur (96) having played more games than her for India. Controversy after the conclusion of World T20 between Mithali Raj and the former head coach of Indian women’s team Ramesh Powar gave birth to question on Mithali’s T20 career. The episode following the debacle clearly hinted about the issues Mithali was having with her colleagues and juniors in the team. Even though the board went on to change the head coach, she has been out of favour with the team management over the last one-year when it comes to T20 cricket. It was just a matter of time that the veteran needed to take the call.
In a press release of BCCI, Mithali said that it is still her dream to win a World Cup and hence she wants to give her best in 2021. “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.”
