OPINION
Follow Us42.3: In search of some quick runs to help India post a formidable first-innings total on the board, Mithali Raj tried to clear the in-field but failed to get any timing onto the ball and was caught at mid-off.
While Mithali made her long back to the pavilion after scoring valuable 68 runs against South Africa, who would have thought that would be the last time we would see the skipper of the Indian side with the bat in hand donning the national colours.
After plenty of drama surrounding the no-ball in the final over, the Women in Blue were knocked out of the World Cup, shattering a million hearts. With the scars of defeat very fresh as the players walked back to the dressing room, it was evident that, in all likelihood, she would bid adieu to the sport, especially in the world event.
With months of speculation surrounding her future in the sport, the 39-year-old has shared an emotional post bringing an end to a glittering career spanning over two decades.
For an ardent fan of women's cricket and someone who grew up idolising Mithali, her decision to step away from the game feels like a personal loss and an end of an era.
I still remember the day when India had a record-breaking run in the 2005 Women's World Cup in South Africa. It was a tournament where my life changed for the better as, like millions of young kids, I decided to follow my passion for the sport and play competitive cricket.
It was a day I realised where my heart belonged and what I would want to do for the rest of my career.
In a country with a population of a billion people and land where cricket is followed like a religion, cricket was still considered a gentleman's game in an era on either side of this century in India.
However, if you happen to walk down any street in the nation and ask a layman to name the Indian women's players, the reply would undoubtedly be Mithali. Such has been her impact on the sport that women's cricket, and especially Indian women's cricket, is associated with her name.
These kind words from Dinesh Karthik signify the importance of Mithali's career in a nutshell. While she has broken numerous records along her journey at the highest level, she has given women's sport a lot more than the records by creating a niche for women's cricket in a male-dominated sport.
The Women's World Cup in 2013, which was touted to be the game-changer in sport, India's dismal performance at home raised a plethora of questions about the skills and the ability of the players.
Amidst the chaos surrounding the team, Mithali rallied around her players and ensured the Women in Blue spent hours of gruelling sessions under the scorching heat and gearing up for the next mega event in the southern hemisphere.
"We want to win the World Cup because it would be a revolution kind of a thing for Indian women's cricket," these words of Mithali resonate in the ears of every passionate Indian fan.
To be fair to the fans and the supporters of the side, not many people gave India a chance ahead of the 2017 edition of the iconic event. Not many people believed they could even reach the knockout stages of the tournament.
Despite all the hardships, she was the pillar of strength for the Indian team in their campaign in the World Cup and helped the Women in Blue etch their name in the record books by reaching the summit clash of the 2017 World Cup at the Home of Cricket.
Five years later, amid the growing concerns of the pandemic, the passion for the game was still alive for the right-handed batter, and she vowed not to give up before the World Cup earlier this year in New Zealand.
In a journey filled with ebbs and flows and growing questions pertaining to her strike rate, Mithali dealt with criticism with a smile on her face.
There ain't any doubt that women's cricket was evolving, and the World Cup in the land of the Kiwis was going to be her final outing at the mega event, given she was erring on the wrong side of the age.
However, she was yet again the glue to India's batting muddle and played some crucial innings to help them keep their dream of winning the elusive title alive.
While they fell agonisingly short in their last league game against Proteas, her impact on women's sport is second to none as she single-handedly put Indian cricket on the global map as far as women's cricket is concerned.
And just like Mithali said in the post-match conversation after South Africa, "Everything does come to an end."
However, we hope this is just the start of something special in the second innings of her life because, with her level of experience and credentials, Indian cricket would be in dire need of her to give back to the game in some capacity.
