Being consistent has been my objective: Mithali

Mithali Raj.

“I feel honoured and humbled. And, I must say that I am what I am today not just because of my game alone or my parents. I am fortunate to have so many right people who supported me at the right time,” said Mithali Raj, named by BCCI as the best women’s cricketer, in an interview to The Hindu on the New Year’s Day.

“Being looked up as the best batter is a privilege with added responsibility. I strongly believe that if only I had a few more cricketers who matched my consistency, I would have been a much better player,” felt Mithali, taking a break before preparing for the forthcoming Australian tour of three ODIs and T20 matches.

“Honestly, I never felt the pressure of captaincy except in the early stages. Now, having got used to that mantle for so long, I only feel it as a huge opportunity to extend my passion for the game,” said Mithali.

The articulate classical dancer-turned-cricketer took pride in reminding that she had been performing consistently in domestic cricket too.

“Yes, there is a need to have more under-16 and 19 matches at the National level to produce quality players,” she said about the domestic structure.

Commenting on the Australian tour, Mithali said that the last time an Indian team toured Down Under was in 2009 for the World Cup.

“There have been lot of changes in the team and it would be a huge challenge. The tour should give the players the perfect platform to showcase their skills for the forthcoming T20 World Cup,” felt Mithali, also named as one of the six Wisden India’s Cricketers of 2015.

In an international career spanning 14 years, Mithali has played 10 Tests (663 runs), with a career-best score of 214 in England, and 158 ODIs with 5029 runs (five hundreds and 37 fifties).

“It has never been a smooth ride for me. But, fortunately, as I have said earlier, I had the support from the people who mattered at the right time,” she pointed out when asked about her career so far.

The gifted cricketer mentioned that her prime objective has always been to be consistent.

“I have always pushed myself that extra bit to achieve this. Once you do this, everything else will fall in place. Thank God, I rarely let down the team.”

Asked about her goals at this stage of her career, Mithali remarked “to put it simply, to be a much better batter.

“There cannot be a perfect phase for any cricketer for too long. And, serve the country with a sense of pride and dignity.

“On the personal front too, there is no time to think about anything else right now except cricket.”