Women cricketers can have women role models now: Mithali Raj on leaving her legacy in Indian cricket
India Today
Mithali Raj called time on her illustrious career that lasted 23 years. She retires as the highest international run getter in women’s international cricket.
India stalwart Mithali Raj decided to call time on her career on Wednesday, 9 June, after 23 years of service to the national team. Raj, one of the greatest proponents of cricket India has seen at the time of retirement, had the most number of runs as a women’s international batter. She was only the second batter to have breached 10,000 runs as a woman and at the time of retirement had notched up 10,868 runs.
Raj, in her illustrious playing career was a serial record-breaker and stood the test of time playing 232 WODIs, the most anyone has ever played till date. Speaking exclusively with India Today after her retirement, Raj said that he was happy that women cricketers now have women role models.
“When I started cricket I did not anticipate that one day young girls will look up to me. But I am happy that today's girls have role models,” Raj said.
She called it her legacy in Indian cricket that during the 90s, women could not model themselves after women idols and now they can.
“The good thing is that women cricketers can be role models now, when I started out it was just men's cricketers in the 90s,” she said.
The former India captain under whom India narrowly lost the World Cup said that women’s cricket had come a long way in India and she could see a bright future.
“Starting from an exclusive boys camp where I was the only girl, today I'll be leaving a legacy where there are minimum of 60-100 girls in each camp,” Raj said about the change.
