"Most of them have shown that they have the ability to play at this level" - Mithali Raj on India's young talent ahead of World Cup
Captain Mithali Raj is confident that India's young brigade has the pedigree to perform at the highest level as they aim to win the elusive World Cup title next month. The tournament, which will be held in New Zealand, begins on March 4.
The Indian team has a couple of young cricketers in their ranks who will be featuring in the World Cup for the first time. Mithali believes the games leading up to the premier competition have helped the players fine tune their performances for the multi-nation event.
Speaking at a pre-tournament press conference, Mithali Raj said:
"The talent that we've got in the last year, we've tried some young talent in the squad, and most of them have shown that they have the ability to play at this level like Richa Ghosh, Shafali Verma, we have Meghna Singh in the seamers, Pooja Vastrakar."
She added:
"They all have been given good game time and those series have really helped them and me as a captain to find out where they fit in into the composition of the team."
The World Cup will be a litmus test for talents like Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh and Pooja Vastrakar to showcase their flair and stamp authority at the international arena.
Mithali, who is gearing up for her sixth World Cup campaign, also sounded content with her own performance.
"As far as me personally, I am happy with the way that I've been scoring runs, and I would love to continue the form into the World Cup," she added.
fifty-plus scores in Women's ODIs 
Mithali Raj, today, became the first captain to score 5️⃣0️⃣ fifty-plus scores in Women's ODIs 💪🇮🇳
#India #NewZealand #NZvIND https://t.co/5T9WwoOvBI
The 39-year-old batter had a good hit against the White Ferns, scoring three half-centuries in five outings. Still a vital cog in India's batting, Mithali Raj will hope to make the World Cup journey memorable by winning the trophy. It is expected to be her last outing at a World Cup event as a player for Team India.
"Enjoy the big stage" - Mithali Raj's words of wisdom for youngsters
Mithali Raj in PC: I did take Yastika out for a coffee the other day & we spoke quite a bit. Chatty kid, asked me a lot of qns, the only advice is enjoy the big stage. If you pile up pressure, you'd not be able to play the best that you and the team want at the WC. #CWC22 https://t.co/PDXvmArSkQ
With her enormous experience, Mithali is keen to pass on the wisdom for the next generation of cricketers.
"The only advice I would tell the young players is to enjoy the big stage because if you pile up the pressure you may not be playing the best that the team and you would want to do in the World Cup," she added.
India begin their World Cup campaign on March 6 against arch-rivals Pakistan.
India's squad: Mithali Raj (c), Harmanpreet Kaur (vc), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Jhulan Goswami, Pooja Vastrakar, Meghna Singh, Renuka Singh Thakur, Taniya Bhatia (wk), Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Poonam Yadav.