Written By Chetan Patodia (Grade 6)
Among all my inspirations, a woman who inspires me is Mithali Raj. She was the former captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team. I have chosen to write about her because she played a very crucial role in giving Women’s Cricket in India the attention it deserves.
Her father worked as a warrant officer in the Indian Air Force. She lived in Telangana and started playing cricket at the age of ten . She was called the “Queen of Cricket” and became the first woman cricketer to play international cricket for twenty years . However, when Raj arrived on the big stage, Women’s Cricket was not given the attention it deserved in this country. In fact, the jerseys of these women were made from the discarded kits of the male cricketers in India. Mithali Raj led the Indian Women’s Cricket Team to the final of the Women’s World Cup but lost against the hosts of the event, England. Raj was run out for a low score of 17 in the finals. Even then, she was a go-getter and fought against all odds which taught me to fight for the rights which we deserve. She has also taught me to practise batting every day for two hours in order to have a good technique. Besides this, I have also learnt to be calm and composed in tense situations, both in my day-to-day life and during all the cricket matches.
These are the things that I have learnt from arguably the best woman cricketer the world has ever seen. Mithali Raj played a very important role in the salary of women cricketers being increased and the beginning of the Women’s “IPL”.
Featured Image Courtesy – ICC Cricket
