Mithali Raj’s hunger to bounce back gives India a wider base

Push her to a corner, and she always bounces back. That’s her innate character. When she was dropped from the team during the middle of the tour of England in 1999 after having scored a century on her One-Day International debut against Ireland, she bounced back at the 2000 World Cup in New Zealand. When she fell ill in the middle of that tournament and then got out for a duck on her Test debut, she bounced back with a record-breaking 214 in a Test match against England in 2002. When she was recently not required to bat for India A in the first T20 against Australia A in Mumbai, she made an unbeaten 105 in the second game, becoming the first Indian with two T20 centuries. She has been bouncing back all her life. Welcome to the world of Mithali Raj.



After Ramesh Powar became the head coach of the Indian team in August this year, he made it clear that inventiveness and fearlessness would be among his go-to mantras even if it came at a price. If that needed pushing some of the established players outside of their comfort zone, then so be it. On the back of this logic, Taniya Bhatia and not Mithali opened the innings in India’s opening Group B World T20 game against New Zealand. It led to a lot of debate among followers of the sport. Some applauded the team management for being flexible and preparing for all eventualities, but India losing three wickets in the Power Play overs made one school believe that Mithali’s experience at the top is what lends stability to the batting order.



India were in a tricky position against New Zealand before Harmanpreet Kaur’s splendid century set the tone for a 34-run win. It was for the first time that Mithali did not have to bat in a T20I in her 12-year career. Surely, she must have been explained the decision, but batting is all that she has known all her life. That is what has given her identity as an athlete and keeps her going even after close to two decades in the circuit. Runs are her currency, and any chance missed leaves a small dent.



Mithali’s body language is not expressive, so it was difficult to know her thoughts as she sat in the dugout to watch Harmanpreet and Jemimah Rodrigues put up a strong batting display against New Zealand. She, however, subtly hinted after her 47-ball 56 as an opener took India to a seven-wicket win over Pakistan in their second game in Guyana on Sunday (November 11) that she loves to spend as much time as possible in the middle. In other words, she likes to open the batting.



A strategic decision was taken in 2014 to promote Mithali as an opener in T20I in order to give the team’s best batter a chance to face the maximum number of balls. It gave her a new sense of purpose in a format that has not always been her strength. She worked hard and adapted. The dynamics, though, have changed. The power game has come in, and Mithali is more classical than aggressive in her approach. Not that she has not done well as an opener recently – remember two consecutive unbeaten fifties against South Africa earlier this year? – but just that the team now believes in pushing the boundaries further, making more players adaptable to bat in different positions. Fluidity is the word.



The theories, though, were kept aside against Pakistan as India promoted Mithali back as an opener during their potentially tricky chase of 134. World T20 matches against Pakistan have always been banana skin affairs, and India did not want to slip once again after 2012 and 2016.



Harmanpreet explained at the post-match presentation ceremony that promoting Mithali to open was to give India the best chance to counter Pakistan's spinners - their main bowling weapon. Mithali's greed to make the opportunity count came through in the very first over.



India were awarded ten penalty runs at the start of their chase because Pakistan batters had run on the danger zone of the pitch. So, effectively India’s chase was 124, which gave Mithali enough time to settle down. Diana Baig’s half volley to end the first over that was dispatched to the square-leg fence got her going, and from there on there was not a moment she did not look in control of the proceedings.



The way her feet moved made for delightful viewing. Cover drive – her bread and butter shot – was out early, indicating that she was in good nick. By the time she used the width offered by Aliya Riaz to place the ball to the point fence off the second delivery of the eighth over, Mithali was in the groove. That boundary took the mind back to a similar shot she had played in the 2017 World Cup final before getting run out. So good she is in that region that at times smarter captains have not hesitated to place two point fielders.



The half-century came in the 16th over when she hit left-arm spinner Aman Amin to the midwicket fence. The celebrations were, as usual, subdued, but she had bounced back once again. With 16 half-centuries, she is now joint-third alongside England’s Sarah Taylor in the list of players with most number of T20I fifites. By the time she was out, Mithali had become one of the seven batters with more than 500 runs in a calendar year.



Mithali’s hunger to bounce back gives India a wider base.