Mithali Raj retires: Indian cricket's legend calls time on T20 career with her legacy secure and reputation intact

Mithali Raj had led India in their first-ever T20 International when they beat England at Derby in 2006. Thirteen years, 89 matches, 2,364 runs, and 17 fifties into her T20I career, Raj decided to call it quits. None of her teammates has scored as many runs or has got even 10 fifties. There were speculations over her retirement since she was dropped for last year’s World T20 semi-final against England in North Sound. The Indian batting line-up, one that had demolished New Zealand and Australia in the group stage, hiccuped their way to 112 and lost easily. Soon after, Raj spoke out about the harsh treatment she had received by the team management during the tournament. All that was in the past. The ghosts of that tournament seemed to be buried since WV Raman took over as national coach from Ramesh Powar. As in the World T20, Raj was in the T20I squad. She then featured in a dead-rubber T20I at Hamilton and all three matches against England — the last four T20Is India have played — albeit without much success. [caption id=“attachment_7281161” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Mithali Raj retires from T20I cricket with her legacy secure in the pantheon of Indian cricket. AFP[/caption] The decision seemed somewhat sudden, more so because she had said last week that she was “definitely available” for the upcoming T20Is against South Africa. However, shortly after the announcement, she mentioned that she had made up her mind earlier this year, at some point in February or March, when such rumours first surfaced. The decision was on the cards, after all. A career like none other Assessing Raj’s career is a difficult task. She is, without doubt, the greatest ODI batter India’s women cricket has produced. Her transition to T20 cricket was considerably smooth in the early days, when India were still finding their groove in the format. Her aggregate, her fifties, even her batting average (37.52) is some distance ahead of any of her teammates. There is little doubt regarding her consistency over the years or the way her many juniors have eased into the national side in her presence. Harmanpreet Kaur, one of the most sought-after Indians in global T20 leagues, is catching up. However, the gap in career runs between Raj and the others — including recent superstars like Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues — is still substantial.

Even at the international level, there is little doubt that Raj has stood the test of time. Only five women have scored more T20I runs, and none of them has a superior average. Only Suzie Bates and Stafanie Taylor have crossed the fifty-mark as often.

Only Bates, Stafanie Taylor, and Edwards have scored more runs in the Women’s World T20, where Raj reached double figures in each of her first 20 innings. Her supremacy in terms of the sheer volume of runs remains unchallenged. One must also acknowledge Raj’s role as captain through the early days. Apart from Kaur, she is the only captain to have led India to more wins (17) than defeats (15). The 2015-16 series win in Australia — India’s first ever in that country — remains her crowning glory. The slide T20 cricket has changed significantly over the past 13 years. Scoring runs will stay crucial till cricket is around, but runs have been amassed at greater pace over time. Over the last few years, Raj has not been able to keep up with the pace as her big-hitting teammates left her behind. The chasm has been quite prominent, especially against the big three of women’s cricket — Australia, England, and New Zealand.

It is evident that India have played a different brand of cricket over the past three-and-a-half years in 20-over cricket, even against the big guns. There was a time when Raj used to amass runs as rapidly as her teammates. Unfortunately, while notching up those fifties as always, she was not quite able to catch up with her teammates as the sport evolved.

While Sharma’s strike rate has not been as impressive as some of the others, it must be remembered that she has a second role in the side. Perhaps the shortest version of the game moved away from Raj quicker than she would have liked to. The Indian cricket team is clearly focussing on big-hitters like Priya Punia, Harleen Deol, and Taniya Bhatia at the top. Their stints have not been long, but it is evident that India Women have not been too keen on investing in Raj’s brand of batting. The overseas T20 franchises clearly cater to the same line of thinking: Of all senior Indian batters, Raj is the only one to have featured in neither WBBL nor KSL. There had been a time when Raj had a role to play in the Indian T20 side, with bat and as captain, but India Women have outgrown that phase. The retirement was perhaps inevitable.