Magnificent Mithali takes India women to Semi-Finals of World Cup 2017

Situation was almost the same. 12 years ago it was the same opponent that was thrown in the road to their goal. And it was the same Mithali Raj, carrying the team for almost 18 years on her broad willow, appeared to rescue the team in both the matches.

In an overcast condition, Bates won the toss and invited India to bat first in a match which was turned out to be a virtual quarterfinal. Openers continued to show their poor partnership show and this time Punam Raut was first to be dismissed. Trying to guide a ball past the slip, she eventually caught at slip of the bowling of Lea Tahuhu. Smriti Mandhana soon followed her partner as she found her off stump cart wheeling of the bowling of Rowe.

India was 21/2 in the 8th over. It was the time when Mithali and her right hand Harmanpreet Kaur started to rebuild the innings. Raj was looking solid from the beginning of her innings. Slowly and steadily she went on to pile up the runs by running hard and with the occasional boundaries. Becoming the first woman to reach to the 6000 runs mark in ODI , Raj was completely in control of her batting as she played the balls according to the merit.

The main problem which India always faces is the number of dot balls they play while batting. In this match too both Mithali and Harman played a plenty of dot balls but it was needed at that moment of time. It was the first ball of 28th over, Rowe provided a fuller ball pitched on the middle and leg stump of Raj, and Raj completed her 50th half-century by sending the ball through the mid-wicket boundary for four with a glorious flick.

Then everyone thought that the innings of Mithali will be lifted to the forth or 6th gear, there was another setback as both Harmanpreet after making her fifty and Deepti Sharma got out within the space of one over in the 2nd power-play. India was 175/4 in the end of the 40th over.

India then needed to accelerate the innings. In her recent interview Mithali stated how she feel about her recent achievement and also stated that if she was allowed to play more freely without the fear of getting out then she might have made more runs. In this match, situation again demanded Mithali to stay at the crease till the end. But the problem was if Mithali continue to play the role as an anchor of the innings one need to step up to play the role of a pinch-hitter for the sake of the team. This time Veda Krishnamurthy assured her skipper with her own innings.

The blistering knock of Veda gave Mithali the chance to play more freely. Mithali knew even if she plays four or five dot balls there was Veda to compensate the run. On the one hand Veda torn apart the White Ferns bowling on the other hand Mithali marched to her 6th ODI hundred. 5th ball of the 48th over of the bowling of Kasperek, Mithali played it on the leg side and hurried for couple of runs to complete a marvelous knock of her. She hit a boundary of the bowling of Kasperek in the final over and got out in the very next ball. Her 109 became the highest individual score by an Indian in WWC and also the highest individual score by an Indian in WWC against New Zealand.

Her partnership of 132 with Harman for the 3rd wicket and 108 with Veda for 5th wicket helped India to get behind the par score which eventually lead India to the victory by 186 runs. Mithali’s magnificent innings earned her the player of the match award just as she earned it 12 years back.

Now if we break Mithali’s innings, her 50 came off 71 balls while her next 50 came of just 45 balls. Her innings were garlanded with 11 fours, hit all over the park. Within her innings of 109 in 123 balls she played 60 dot balls and ran 40 one’s and two’s.

India will face Australia in Semi-final. We all wish that Mithali will carry her form in this match as well and help us to win the match and if possible then World Cup as well.

Only then it will be glorious tribute to a the legend of the game, playing her last WWC, in her own words.