Consistency, discipline key for Mithali Raj

NEW DELHI: Known as the "Sachin Tendulkar of Indian women's cricket" for the longevity of her career, Mithali Raj became only the second woman player in the world and the first from India to get to 10,000 international runs during Friday's third ODI against South Africa women.

The 38-year-old Raj, who is in her 22nd year of international cricket, made her debut for India in June 1999 when the Indian men's team was still led by Mohammed Azharuddin and had just a few days before her debut exited the 1999 World Cup in the Super Six stage.

"As long as I get an opportunity to bat, it has to be counted and that has given me a lot of experience and exposure to work on my game over the years with the changing standards in women's game. I try to be relevant in the international circuit," said the right-handed Raj after Friday's game while speaking to the media.

"When you play for this long, you go through different milestones. This being one of it, the key for me has always been consistency and I have always believed in scoring runs each time I go out to bat, whether it is domestic or international cricket," she added after India women lost to South Africa by six runs under DLS method.

Former teammate Anjum Chopra, who witnessed her international debut in 1999, attributed her longevity to discipline and dedication and her ability to keep herself motivated enough to do routine things everyday.

"As far as skill levels go, you can develop as you go along. But such a long career requires discipline and dedication which is visible from the fact that she is playing, scoring and putting in the hard yards even when there is no cricket," Chopra told IANS.

"Unlike men's cricket, women's cricket is not that frequent. So there are phases where there is no cricket. The fact that she has been able to keep herself going for so long despite that is what stands out. Her cover drives, backfoot punches are all the same but she has added more skills like using the long handle. To keep following a routine day in and day out requires dedication and discipline, especially if you are a woman pursuing sport in India. That is commendable," added Chopra, who represented India in 127 ODIs, 12 Tests and 18 T20 Internationals.

Raj had made a century in that ODI debut in Milton Keynes vs Ireland, scoring 114 while opening partner and fellow debutant Reshma Gandhi made 104 as India won by 161 runs.

Raj has so far scored 6,974 runs in ODI cricket at an average of 50.53 with 2,364 runs in T20Is at 37.52 and 663 runs in Test cricket at 51.00. IANS

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