The Only Thing I Am Looking At Right Now Is The World Cup: Mithali Raj
Published - 25 Mar 2021, 09:11 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:43 AM
Indian ODI captain and one of the greatest women cricketers that have ever played this beautiful game, Mithali Raj has set her eyes firmly on the 2022 50-over World Cup which is set to be her swan-song from international cricket.
After having recently featured in the five-match ODI series against South Africa, in which Team India lost 1-4, Mithali Raj is back to playing domestic cricket.
The 38-year-old who recently became the second women cricketer to notch up 10000 International runs, in an interview with News18, has said that she can’t afford to relax as her primary goal is to win the elusive World Cup before she walks into the sunset.
“The only thing I am looking at right now is the World Cup. I want to get that trophy. That is something that has always been there in my mind. I know my personal milestones are temporary happiness. The ultimate goal is to win that World Cup for India,” said Mithali Raj.
”I cannot afford to relax. I want the team to win the trophy. I want to build the team so that when I leave, I want to leave the team with a good set of players. I am going to play for another year,” she added.
Mithali Raj has endured a plethora of so-close-yet-so-far moments during her two-decade-old International career as far as World Cup is concerned.
She has led India to the final on a couple of occasions where the Women in Blue ended up as the second-best team.
While they were beaten fair and square by Australia in 2005, it is the 2017 World Cup final defeat where Team India snatched defeat from the jaws of victory that proved to be a bitter pill to swallow for everyone, especially Mithali, who took a long time to get over that.
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“I took a lot of time to get over that. It was like a heartbreak. When you have a bad relationship and it plays in your mind like a loop, it was like that for me for a long time to get over that. I guess, 2022 is something I am looking at crossing the last hurdle,” Mithali Raj added.
