Mithali’s Raj: BCCI Woman Player of the Year

This is the second time the batswoman has won that coveted award, the first being in 2008-09. She will receive the prize at the BCCI Annual Awards function to be held in Mumbai on January 5. Punching her way through dusty, inferior and often uneven playing fields through her 16-year career, Mithali has surely come a long way. “I am one of the fortunate players who has seen women’s cricket battle through the rough and tumble when it was being governed by the Women’s Cricket Association of India, to the current BCCI. Being under the wing of the latter has worked a lot to our benefit, especially when the Board introduced contracts for women cricketers as well in a welcome move that allowed us to take back something monetary-wise,” she says, adding “I would say this is a good phase for women’s cricket as compared to the days when Ranji Trophy players (men) would get paid more than women internationals.”

Having smashed runs by the ton, Mithali plays down her consistency. “It comes naturally when you are the main player in the team, among other factors. You tend to punch a lot more in order to keep performing better,” she says. The new year does bring in a lot of on-field challenges though. “There’s a tough tour of Australia coming up this month. The last we toured Oz was in 2009 — barring four or five of us, none of the players are accustomed to conditions there,” she says, before switching to the bright side. “That series will be followed by the Twenty20 World Cup at home, which I think is a fantastic platform for us to showcase women’s cricket in India. I couldn’t be happier.”