Former Australia women's team captain Lisa Sthalekar heaped praise on Indian skipper Mithali Raj after the veteran cricketer won the third and final ODI single-handedly for her team against England Women.
Raj played a match-winning knock of 75* from 86 balls with the help of eight boundaries as the Indian women’s cricket team chased 219 in the last over to win the final ODI by 3 wickets against England at Worcester. However, the hosts clinched the ODI series 2-1 having won the first two games.
After she led India to a consolation victory at Worcester, Sthalekar said the way Mithali played in the third ODI showed the world exactly why she has continued to keep breaking records.
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She also feels India is a better team when it comes to chasing than batting first. The Indian skipper is already the leading run-getter in ODIs and now she surpassed former England skipper Charlotte Edwards to become the highest run-getter across formats in women's cricket with more than 10000 runs.
Sthalekar said on Cricbuzz: “Really the star of the day was Mithali Raj, she showed us exactly why she has continued to keep breaking records. It just shows you the class that she is in. Because she chases so well, I think she averages over 100 in ODI chases, just an outstanding feat.”
She continued, “One thing that we do not see from her when India is setting targets is her taking risks early on in her innings. She does that when she is chasing because she knows, she calculates, she is so smart. She stands there before she faces the ball, she looks at the field, she looks up, adjusts the helmet, and away she goes. And because she is chasing she knows when to switch, she does that so well that you wonder and you get frustrated sometimes that why can't she do that when India is setting.
I know having bowled to her, you bowl a number of dots and out of nowhere she picks you up and hits you straight back over your head. With so much ease she does, I can't understand why you don't do that more often than not, but it doesn't matter in this case.”
On the India team after a thrilling win in England, Sthalekar mentioned, “India have managed not the impossible but certainly a challenging task by beating England in the third one-day international.”
She signed off by saying, “Mithali Raj won the toss finally and no hesitation in putting England in because she feels and I think most of us would agree that India is a better side chasing than they are setting. So they got their wish.”
(With PTI Inputs)
