“Aapko cricket chodni padegi” – Former India captain Mithali Raj reveals shocking details why she didn't get married
Former India captain Mithali Raj has revealed shocking details on why she didn't get married in a recent interview. Raj shared how the groom-to-be wanted her to quit cricket while she was leading India’s national women’s cricket team. The 41-year-old added the guy instead wanted her to look after the family and kids when she was under 25. Notably, she continued pursuing cricket and didn’t get married.
Mithali Raj told Ranveer Allahabadia in the latter's podcast The Ranveer Show (via Instagram):
“I was current India captain then, and he said, 'Aapko cricket chodni padegi (You’ll have to quit cricket) because after marriage you’ll have to look after the kids.'”
She further added that there used to be secret relationships between men and women cricketers:
“I was like you caught me there (on secret relationships between men and women’s cricketers). There have been. I will not deny that.”
Raj further spoke about how appreciation from influential figures pushed her to continue playing the sport after turning 25:
“Us waqt (At that time) cricket wasn’t for a middle-class family. Because of this, a lot of girls played to a certain extent. But after a while, sports mein hai kya [What is the sport)? 2009 was a period when I thought it’s done. I said, 'Ye World Cup khel ke aa jati hoon (I will leave cricket after World Cup), I’ll retire and then I can get into that phase (starting a family).'”
“See, how things changed. I went to the World Cup and that appreciation I got. Appreciation was a very big factor in an athlete’s life. We always see men cricketers getting it. So, when you get that, I though, what’s the hurry? I’ve played so much for this. I’ve made so many sacrifices. So, then I called my mom and said, “I don’t want to get married now. Let me play for another two years,” she added.
Raj further spoke about the challenges of being a woman (PCOS and periods), while revealing how she accidentally got into the sport:
“I didn’t enjoy playing cricket. I wanted to be like my brother. He was playing cricket. My first senior camp for the World Cup in 97. I was about 13 years old and that was my first trip travelling alone. And, I felt like I was lost. I called up my mom, 'I don’t want to play cricket. I want to come back home.'”
“For a longest time, it was very difficult to share it with the support staff. I did once (drop a player due to her period). It was one of the World Cup games in 2009.”
Mithali Raj also shared how sledging crossed boundaries during an Indo-Pak game:
“We were playing against Pakistan in Bangladesh and I was batting and then suddenly this player abuses me. Again, after two overs, she crossed me and she just hit my hand. This was the first experience for me.”
Mithali Raj only women’s player to score over 10,000 runs in international cricket
Mithali Raj is the only women’s player to score more than 10,000 runs in international cricket. The right-handed batter played 12 Tests, 232 ODIs, and 89 T20Is, amassing 10,868 runs with the help of eight tons and 85 half-centuries.
As a skipper, she led India to 89 wins in 155 ODIs, the most by any captain in women's ODIs. She also guided India Women to the 2017 ODI World Cup final. In T20Is, she guided the Women in Blue to 17 victories in 32 games.
Following her retirement in 2022, Mithali Raj has been serving the role of a mentor and advisor for the Gujarat Giants (GG) in the Women’s Premier League (WPL).