Mithali Raj: My mother wanted me to become a Bharatnatyam dancer

When we meet Mithali Raj hours before her session at We The Women a participatory opentoall forum for women at Bandras Mehboob Studios we realise that it must take a mental switch mdash from allwhite sporting gear to a black number and stilettos Nevertheless she manages to make heads turn Im still getting used to all of this she smiles referring to her chocabloc endorsement and celebrity attendance schedule since her team became finalists at the 2017 Womens World Cup I love my metime so all of this is quite something she admits before settling into a chatEdited excerpts from the interviewMithali RajAs a young girl did cricket interest youWe didnt have a television at home so I never watched cricket matches I was lazy Id wake up at 8 am for a 9 am class My father wanted to change my routine and thought it would help if I accompanied my elder brother for cricket practice When I was nine I joined the boys training camp during the summer vacations It was my brothers coach former Hyderabad pacer Jyothi Prasad who thought I displayed talent and informed dad who was of course thrilledMum wanted me to become a Bharatnatyam dancer thoughWhat was it like to train with the boysIt was fun because I was the only girl But later I had to work harder there were no short cuts If you hit them for a four or six you knew the next delivery would be a missile aimed for your face In hindsight it helpedHow closely do you follow the mens gameTechnically their standards are far higher so I follow it closely to improve my own game To be the best in your field you need to compete and keep pace with those who are betterWhich male cricketers brain would you like to pickSachin Each time I watch a knock from him there is something new to learn Its amazing how he remained at the top of his game for over two decades I like Dravids work ethic Once while training in Bangalore I didnt realise that he was watching me at the nets Later he shared a few valuable tipsHow did it feel when you scored your first international run And 5999 runs later is the feeling any differentAll I remember was the tremendous pressure that continued for a long time It took me a while to realise that cricket was my destiny Since I was doing it to keep my dad happy initially I approached it as a task In 2009 at the Womens World Cup in Australia everything changed Womens cricket was televised we had prematch interviews and wore coloured clothing The womens game had arrived and was watched by the world To come in for praise from greats like Wasim Akram was special I realised that maybe if I tweaked my mindset I would enjoy the game And I didDid that also influence your leadership skillsAbsolutely I started thinking beyond batting skills And later when I became captain I learnt that its vital to bend your ego The most important thing is to be compassionate and mould others Some are born leaders others like me develop the skill along the way My dad and a few close friends have played a big part hereHave you faced sexism from an Indian sportsmanI was reading an interview by a former Indian cricket captain He was asked if he would encourage his daughter to take up cricket to which he said that womens cricket was nonexistent in India It made me sad that a man who represented the game at the highest level would make such a commentMithali Sindhu Saina Sania Sakshi and many more Indian sportswomen are making headlines everywhereYes We always had women sports stars But they werent recognised Media reportage has improved things for womens sport and yes sportswomen are more accessible via social mediaCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news current affairs from Mumbai local news crime news and breaking headlines hereDownload the new midday Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go