The Hindu : Sport : Mithali promises more glory after historic win

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 05, 2006

Sport

Sport

Mithali promises more glory after historic win

V.V. Subrahmanyam

Mithali Raj. — FILE PHOTO: MOHAMMED YOUSUF

HYDERABAD: It is time for a turnaround in the fortunes of the Indian women cricketers, said Mithali Raj, who led the team to its first-ever Test series win in England last week.

Speaking to The Hindu, a visibly tired Mithali said that with the BCCI backing them, the onus was on the players to live up to the expectations.

"If only we had won the one-day series as well, it would have been great. We are grateful to the BCCI for its gesture and I hope things will now open up for women cricketers. I'm confident that if we are assured of continued support, the results will be very good," the 24-year-old asserted.

Mithali also believes that it was time the team had a professional coach who could analyse the daily performances with the help of video footage and give the right feedback so that the players could take corrective measures.

"This is what the foreign coaches do and with the BCCI likely to chip in now for us, we are optimistic of having one very soon," she said. For someone who led India to its first-ever World Cup final, Mithali seems to have a special affinity for English pitches.

On her maiden tour in 2002, she scored 214, which was then the highest score in women's Test cricket. "Well, I do enjoy the ambience and the English grounds always inspire me to produce something special," she remarked.

All praise for Jhulan

Mithali, who scored a crucial 65 and 22 not out, said Jhulan Goswami's 10-wicket haul was the key factor that helped India win the Test along with her 136-run third-wicket stand with Anjum Chopra (98) in the first essay.

"Definitely, we need to have a good opening pair in batting and genuine all-rounders for the future assignments. We also have to look for improved performances in fielding and running between the wickets," she said.

Explaining the reason for losing the one-day series, she felt the players had wilted under pressure and that was a big lesson before the second Test.

"Now, I'm confident of the team putting up better displays in the one-day series as well in the coming months," she added.

The articulate skipper felt that the success story in England should usher in a new chapter for the sport and she is hopeful that more sponsors would now be interested in backing the team.

The focus will now shift to the Asia Cup this December, which will be followed by a home series featuring Australia, New Zealand and England.

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