Mithali Raj

Some Lesser Known Facts About Mithali Raj

• Does Mithali Raj smoke?: No

• Does Mithali Raj drink alcohol?: Yes

  

• Mithali was born into a Tamil Family in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur; where her father, Dorai Raj, was on his last Indian Air Force posting.

  

• Mithali’s mother, Leela, describes her entry into Cricket as serendipitous; as she became fond of the game by accompanying her elder brother, Mithun, to his 6 am cricket coaching class at St John’s Academy.

  

• Mithali grew up calling her elder brother by the north Indian nickname Bhaiya. She also grew up wanting to follow him in whatever he did.

• In an interview, Mithali’s mother revealed about her that she was very lazy in her childhood who always enjoyed her sleep. However, when it was about to accompany her brother to his 6 am cricket coaching, she would give up her habit of sleeping late.

• For a time pass, while Mithun and other boys practised, Mithun’s coach Jyoti Prasad would often play a side game of Cricket with the 6-year-old Mithali.

• It was Jyoti Prasad who recognized Mithali’s cricketing skills and suggested to her father “Instead of concentrating on your son, I think it’s better you start concentrating on the girl.” Prasad also suggested Mithali’s parents a National Institute of Sports coach named Sampath Kumar.

• Thereafter, Mithali ventured into Sampath Kumar’s girls’ cricket Sports Glory Club for about two months when he noticed her.

• Soon, Sampath Kumar became so impressed with the cricketing skills of Mithali that he called her parents and said, “this girl is good. I am planning to make her play for the country.” Initially, Mithali’s parents didn’t take Kumar seriously.

• Sampath Kumar was so confident about Mithali’s game that he further said to her parents, “She is playing-for-the-country material. I, as a coach, I can take the challenge. But as parents, I need you guys also then only we can work on it… I will want her to play for the country when she’s 14 years. Sachin Tendulkar had a record. So why not we make this girl?’”

• Under the mentorship of Kumar, at barely 9, Mithali was selected to play for the state in the sub-juniors tournament and became the youngest to do so.

• Mithali played her first match outside her hometown when she was chosen for the sub-juniors and was expected to travel to Jalandhar, nearly 2,000 km away.

• Thereafter, Mithali went on in and out of her home for more than 15 to 20 days in a month, travelling the length and breadth of the country for matches.

• After sub-juniors, Mithali went on to be selected in the junior and the senior teams; successively.

• At every stage, Mithali’s parents stood behind her. Even her mother had to resign from her work so that she could better take care of her food.

  

• When Mithali’s coach told her mother that Mithali should never travel by public transport, she drove Mithali to practice on a two-wheeler.

• When the 1997 World Cup was approaching, Mithali, a tender 14, was selected as a probable. However, she couldn’t make it to the team.

• Thereafter, she began representing on the domestic scene first Air-India and later the railways.

• When the 17-year-old Mithali made her ODI debut at Milton Keynes, England, where she scored an unbeaten 114 against Ireland; unfortunately her coach Sampath Kumar Kumar wasn’t there to see his prediction becoming true; as he had been killed two years earlier in an accident. However, Mithali never looked back after that tour.

• When Mithali returned home from her first abroad tour in England; she recieved a warm welcome from all across the state and country.

  

• Her first love was dance, but she quit it at the age of 8 and chose cricket over it. She pursued dancing; especially Bharat Natyam, for many years, right till Class 8.

  

• She is an avid reader and often takes time to read her favourite books and novels.