After an illustrious 23-year long career, former India sipper Mithali Raj sheds light on why she chose not to play the WPL despite having the option to, and a lot more.
Speaking in an exclusive interview on The Scoop by Wisden, Mithali Raj opened up about her career, the decision of choosing not to play in the Women's Premier League (WPL) and her role in the transition of women's cricket in India.
The former India skipper pulled curtains on her illustrous international career in June 2022, after having played for 23 years. Though women's cricket was viewed from a different standpoint back then, Mithali shared her experiences of how the times changed and how she was at the heart of it all.
However, the 43-year-old revealed that she had an opportunity to feature in the Women's Premier League (WPL), which was established soon after she retired from international cricket.
"When I retired, that's when the WPL was announced," she said. "I did have the option of playing, but I chose not to for my own personal reasons. But there are no regrets in these decisions. I was very happy to be part of, you know, one of the franchise as a mentor-cum-advisor, and then getting into the role of being a consultant for our state association, looking after women's cricket."
'Had an important role to play in Indian cricket'
The times that Mithali played in were very different to what they are now. With multiple leagues being established over the last few years, there has been a gradual shift in women's cricket, not just in India, but across the globe.
When asked about whether she would have liked to be playing in this era rather than the one she did play in, the former India skipper had a very clear answer up her sleeve. "I genuinely feel that I had a particular role to play to bridge that generation with the current generation," she said. "You need someone to play that role, and perhaps my journey was that. That was the sense of playing for so long."
In addition to that, Mithali, a member of the ICC Women's Cricket Committee, stated that the kind of experiences she had during her 23-year long career were destined for only a handful of players.
"Very few players I can say," Mithali continued, "who have seen post-BCCI and pe-BCCI [phases], where playing under one organisation like Women's Cricket Association of India and then IWCC (International Women's Cricket Council), then coming under ICC, coming under the BCCI - seeing the different changes in facilities and the growth of women's cricket. Not everybody can say that. So I have been very fortunate to have that journey."
Mithali is one of the only four women to amass more than 10,000 international runs across formats, alongside Suzie Bates, Smriti Mandhana and Charlotte Edwards. Along with being in the ICC Women's Cricket Committee, she is also the mentor for the Women's Cricket Operations for the Andhra Cricket Association (ACA).
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