"We need to have more teams participating in the ICC events," says Mithali Raj

Indian Women’s cricket team Captain Mithali Raj recently announced her retirement from the shorter format of the games and expressed her desire to continue with ODI format and win World Cup for India in 2021. This retirement definitely made a place for another youngster in the team, but at the same time sparked huge discussions around her sudden exit from the T20I side.

Mithali Raj Facts Virat Kohli — Mithali Raj

In the recently concluded Women’s T20 Global Qualifiers in Scotland, both Bangladesh and Thailand qualified for the final 2 spots in the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia. Mithali Raj did not shy away from praising Thailand, who came from nowhere and has become such a dominant force in the women’s cricket lately. Mithali Raj appreciated Thailand and called them a role model for other cricket-loving countries.

“I think the top teams have been doing well, whether it is Australia, England, New Zealand, India or South Africa,” Raj told ICC. “But we need to have more teams participating in the ICC events. Like this year, Thailand is going to play its first ICC event [in Australia next year].

“So teams like that need to be encouraged. We need to give them more exposure. That is something we need to do more to spread women’s cricket around the world. People from countries other than the cricket-loving ones should be able to come forward and accept the sport as a profession. That is something we need to work on.”

When asked about the current squad and how well is India prepared for the upcoming T20 World Cup, Mithali Raj had this to say:

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“Jemimah has been doing really well in this format, especially scoring runs on the New Zealand tour,” said Raj. “She also had a good record in the WBBL, playing on Australian soil. She is one player you can look forward to in the T20 World Cup.

“The current generation is fearless in terms of results. If they feel like they should take a stand or go ahead, they go ahead irrespective of what the situation is. That definitely helps in your approach as a confident player.”

Having played over 200 ODIs, Mithali Raj has her eyes set on Women’s World Cup 2021 to be held in New Zealand.

“I am looking forward to working a lot on my fitness, because that is going to be one of the main criteria for me to extend my career. At the same time, [I want to] work on my skills to keep myself up-to-date to the current international standards in women’s cricket.”

News Source: ICC