The highest runter in the cricket of women, across the format, said hunger to score was still there at the epic career dusk, when he saw the last one hurray in the ODI World Cup next year, India Skipper Mithali Raj said his life remained the same as 22 years Then and he tried to add “new dimensions” to hit him.
On Saturday, Mithali broke unbeatably from 86 balls to get India’s four-goal entertainment victory in the third and last ODI against England in Worcester.
Along the way, he became the highest runner in the women’s international cricket crossing the format, past the British captain Charlotte Edwards 10, 273 Run.
Mithali now has 10,337 running on the kitty, with 7.304 run in Odis.
There is no other dough that has more than 6,000 runs in the Odis of Women.
It was the third half-century in a series in the series where his colleagues had struggled, with the next highest score was 44 by Shafali Verma in the second Odi.
Remembering more than two trips for a decade, legend said: “How to happen, it’s not an easy journey.
It has a trial and challenge.
I always believe that trials have a goal,” he said at a post-match virtual presser.
The 38-year-old made his debut at Milton Keynes against Ireland on June 26, 1999.
Interestingly, he was exactly as old as Sachin Tendulkar-16 years and 205 days – when he played his first international game.
Along the way, there was controversy, and the phase where he felt that he was absent, forced him to think about stopping, but he continued.
“There are times when I want to give up for various reasons but something makes me go and here I am, 22 years of international cricket, but the hunger to run is never rather dry,” he said.
While the critics felt he was not bat at the speed requested by a modern game, Mithali focused on adding more strings to the bow.
The way he changed the rate of innings – take the time to direct it before hitting freely in the end -in The Chase on Sunday was extraordinary.
“I was still very excited to go there, be there in the middle and win the match for India.
I know there is still room for improvement in terms of my punch and it is something I do …
There is a certain dimension I want to add to my punch , “he said.
After retiring from the hustle and bustle of the T20 cricket in 2019, Mithali now enjoys the role of being a batting fortress, using all his experiences to help the team.
How well is Indian fare at the Women’s World Cup, which will be held in New Zealand from March 4 to April 3, will depend on how he appeared.
It will be the Swansong, and there is no doubt that he wants to bow from the international stage with a large trophy, as Tendulkar did when he played his role in the 2011 World Cup Triumph in India.