With the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic having a very negative impact on the sports world, India Women’s ODI captain Mithali Raj said the pause in the cricketing activity has evened out the competition and there will be no favorites for the 2021 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand.
She told Sportstar in an Instagram live session: “Access to gyms is restricted and play has been put on hold. So, the 2021 World Cup is pretty much open and there are no favorites.”
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The veteran cricketer further said that the Women’s team is in regular touch with head coach W.V. Raman and other staff members to plan their training routines suitable for their circumstances.
She continued, “Some of us have running space while others like me have to manage within the restricted spaces indoors, so our trainers are adapting routines for us. WV Raman (sir) is trying to be creative with our skill training regimen. It is difficult because irrespective of how much we train indoors, we need to get out onto the ground to be fully prepared,”
On her fitness at 37 in the run-up to 2021, the captain said: “Fitness, at my age, is something I need to consciously and constantly keep up. I know I can’t forget my skill – I still have some batting in me. I might need a few sessions to get my rhythm going,”
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Amid the COVID-19 lockdown, she is continuing her practice with the help of her watchman and his son. She added, “I get them to bowl to me with a tennis ball, or I use a hanging ball. It’s nowhere close to a regular routine at the nets, but it keeps me going with my basics and helps me clock some batting time.
I am an optimist, and I believe that whenever things get better at some point, we will get to hit the ground again. At that point, we shouldn’t have to be starting from scratch. I am following a religious exercise regime for that very reason,”
Meanwhile, the highest run-scorer in Women’s One-day cricket with 6,888 runs was pleased with the evolution of India’s bowling arsenal. Raj further said, “In the last few years, our bowlers have done so well. They took us into the final of the World T20 in March. From speaking of the impact of a batter’s innings, I am so glad and proud to be speaking of the bowlers, especially our spinners doing well on Australian wickets in a format we have struggled in for so long.”
She further insisted that the Indian Women’s team is now stronger than the team which lost to England in the 2017 ODI World Cup. She signed off by saying, “Teams don’t take us lightly anymore and come prepared for us. Consistently beating the best sides in the world – be it Australia in the ODIs or England in the T20s – has given us the confidence that we too are a side to beat.”
(With Sportstar Inputs)
