Mithali Raj, a legendary cricket player for India, anticipates that at least three to four members of the victorious Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup squad would graduate to the senior level and maybe play a crucial part in the ODI World Cup that will be held in India in 2025.
Parshavi Chopra, Shweta Sehrawat, Titas Sadhu, Archana Devi, and Mannat Kashyap were among the standout performers for the Indian under-19 team that won the final against England on Sunday in Potchefstroom, South Africa. The match was played with left-arm spinner Mannat Kashyap and left-arm spinner Archana Devi.
Mithali, who was invited by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to interact with the cricketers ahead of the inaugural edition, believes that women’s cricket has finally received a platform from which the players can be fast-tracked or groomed for the future. This was Mithali’s impression after she was given the opportunity to interact with the cricketers by the ICC.
“The spinners and seamers have been quite outstanding, but there is room for growth at the top level in all disciplines. It is always to one’s advantage to have a greater number of possibilities and to have a strong pool of players.
“When you compare the U-19 level to the very best level, there is obviously quite a bit of a difference in terms of the standards, the technique, and the temperament.”
“We are going to have to put some effort into them. And from what I observed in South Africa, they are pretty good,” Mithali, who ended her legendary international career of 23 years last year, told PTI. Mithali’s career spanned the globe from India to South Africa.
According to the player who has scored the most runs in women’s one-day international cricket, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru did a good job of preparing the team for the first ever global age-group event.
She hopes that in the future, all of the members of the winning squad will continue to compete on the domestic circuit, and that the three or four players who are prepared to play at a higher level would be able to be gradually integrated into the national team.
“Taking part in domestic cricket is something that holds a lot of significance for them and ought not to be overlooked. Additionally, WPL will provide them with the necessary exposure.
We have not yet won a global event at the senior level, but the next One-Day International World Cup will be held in our country. According to the winning batter, “I have no doubt that the BCCI is giving that a high priority and will continue to include these individuals in the competition.”
Due to the fact that the talent pool for men’s cricket is substantially larger, it is significantly less likely that women’s Under-19 cricket players will ever play at the international level.
Mithali argues that the number of women who go on to play for India should be larger because the average number of men who go on to play for India after the U-19 World Cup is one or two.
She also warmly recalls her contacts with the team lead by Shafali Verma prior to the beginning of the competition in South Africa.
“There wasn’t much of a technical discussion that took place. They had a lot of questions pertaining to the preparation, which was the primary focus of the questioning.
Things like how to prepare, as these girls are really young, and there is a significant difference between practising as a team and working on your own. I discussed the steps involved in making the adjustment.
She stated, “They are really avid learners, and because they are at the level they are at, they are very lively as well.”
In addition, Mithali had nothing but kind words to say about Nooshin Al Khadeer, the head coach of the Women’s U-19 team.
“She deserves every bit of praise because she has put in an incredible amount of effort with these cricket players. She has performed admirably in all of her roles, whether it is with the Railways, in domestic cricket, or most recently at the India U-19 level.
When Mithali was asked if Nooshin is ready to coach the senior India team, she responded positively and said that he is.
Mithali will be working as a mentor for the Gujarat Giants, which is owned by Adani, for the upcoming “game-changing” Women’s Premier League.
There was talk that she would play in the first season of the Twenty20 league even though she has not yet officially retired from playing domestic cricket. This was due to the fact that she has not yet played her final domestic match.
“When I announced my retirement (in June of the previous year), I knew deep down that it would be my last time playing.
She went on to say, “The league is finally going to start up in March, and I could not be more excited to be a part of it and contribute whatever it is that I have learned over the years.”
