By Our Special Correspondent
Late into the night skies of Christchurch on March 27, 2022, with the floodlights at Hagley Oval providing the spectators a sight to behold, a heartbroken Indian team walked off the field after their last-ball defeat against South Africa in their final league game of the 2022 ODI World Cup. Minutes after, Indian skipper Mithali Raj, as calm as she has always been, was there for the press conference as India had faced an early exit.
However, when the questions start to come up, one by one, under calm, one can realize that the wound is clearly visible. When asked how she was feeling, she had to say, "Honestly, I have no emotions right now ..." Then the terrible question about her future. It came in many forms, built differently.
That night, often emotion appears when she tries to maintain calm throughout. After all, she fell for her last attempt at a World Cup dream - something she has been chasing for 22 years. But when she walked out of the podium, no one thought it might be the last time we would see her in Indian colors.
When she did not participate in the Senior T20 League and did not participate in the Women's T20 Challenge, that feeling grew even more. 73 days after the press conference at the Hooghly Oval, Mithali announced her retirement from international cricket through a statement on social media.
“Representing your country is the highest honor so I set out as a little girl on a journey wearing India Blues. The journey was full of many heights and some lows. Every event has taught me something unique and the last 23 years have been the most satisfying, challenging and enjoyable years of my life, ”she said.23 years — just a year less than the legendary Sachin Tendulkar (who could forget that farewell Test match on his home ground) — that’s how long Mithali served Indian cricket.
She came into the scene when the women’s sport was not very professional, topping the world rankings as a batter and took the team with her to that level. As captain, she led them to their first World Cup final in 2005, saw the BCCI capture women's cricket, reached the final again in 2017 and played with three generations of cricketers - at least one of whom played the game watching her bat. . But it’s not just about longevity.
India’s ODI squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), S Meghna, Deepti Sharma, Poonam Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Simran Bahadur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Harleen Deol.
Meanwhile, Mithali ended her glorious career with a record 7805 runs in 232 ODIs. She also represented India in 12 Tests and 89 T20 Internationals.
It will bring down the curtain on a glittering career since making her debut for India in 1999. Mithali has played 12 Tests, 232 ODIS and 89 T20Is for India in her 23-year-old career.
South Africa Squad:
Temba Bavuma (c), Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Tristan Stubbs, Rassie van der Dussen, Marco Jansen
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