India great Mithali Raj sees at least three to four members of the victorious Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup squad graduate to the senior level and potentially play a key role in the home ODI World Cup in 2025. Legspinner Parshavi Chopra, opener Shweta Sehrawat, pacer Titas Sadhu, off-break bowler Archana Devi and left arm spinner Mannat Kashyap were among the standouts of the U-19 side that beat England in the final at Potchefstroom on Sunday.
Mithali, who was invited by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to interact with cricketers ahead of the first edition, believes women’s cricket has finally gained a platform from which players can be accelerated or prepared for the future.
“The spinners and sewing machines have been very impressive and in both departments we need improvement at senior level. It’s always good to have more options and build a solid pool of players.
“If you compare it to the highest level, of course there is a bit of difference in terms of standards, technique and temperament at the U-19 level.
“We’ll have to work on it. And from what I’ve seen in South Africa, they’re really good,” Mithali, who ended a 23-year illustrious international career last year, told PTI.
The leading run-getter in women’s ODI cricket said the NCA in Bengaluru had prepared the team well for the first ever global age group event.
In the future, she wants all team members of the victorious squad to toil on the domestic circuit, while the three or four who are ready for the higher level can be slowly called up to the national squad.
“Playing domestic cricket is very important to them and should not be neglected. WPL will also give them the necessary exposure.
“The next ODI World Cup is at home and we haven’t won a global event at senior level yet. I’m sure the BCCI will prioritize that and keep these players in the mix,” said the champion batsman.
Since the talent pool is not as large as in men’s cricket, the chance of the women’s U-19 players reaching international cricket increases significantly. On average, one or two of the U-19 Men’s World Cup play for India, but Mithali thinks the number should be higher in women’s cricket.
She also fondly recalled her interactions with the Shafali Verma-led squad before the start of the tournament in South Africa.
“It wasn’t really a technical talk. It was more about the preparation and they had a lot of questions about that. Things like how to prepare because these girls are very young and there is a lot of difference in team training and personal training. I have talked about how to make the switch.
“They are very enthusiastic learners and because of the level they are at, they are also very energetic,” she said.
Mithali was also full of praise for Women’s U-19 head coach Nooshin Al Khadeer.
“She has worked tirelessly with this bunch of cricketers and deserves all the credit. She has done well in all her assignments be it with the Railways in domestic cricket and now at India U-19 level.” Asked if Nooshin is ready to coach the senior India team, Mithali replied in the affirmative.
Mithali will be part of the “job-changing” Women’s Premier League as a mentor at the Adani-owned Gujarat Giants.
As she has yet to retire from domestic cricket, it was speculated that she would return to the field for the inaugural edition of the T20 competition.
“When I announced my retirement (in June last year), I knew deep down that I would not play again.
“The competition finally takes place in March and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of it and share what I’ve learned over the years,” she added.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Featured video of the day
For First Women’s Premier League, record bids worth Rs 4,670 crore for five teams
Topics mentioned in this article
