Mithali Raj on "distractions" in women's cricket

Brut India

"As a leader, you have to curb your emotions." A throwback to 2018 when Mithali Raj gave a masterclass on how to conduct oneself on the cricket field.  📹: Oaktree Sports

Transcript

00:00I've seen a lot of players from my own team who could not handle the instant success that World Cup gave us.

00:07Now in women's cricket, when money flows, there are other distractions.

00:11That time, that generation of players, those who were 16 or 20, and now those who are 16 or 20, what is the difference between the two?

00:34There is a lot of difference. Sometimes I feel that I was a loser when I was 16.

00:40My dad used to come and drop me at the camps and he used to come and pick me up.

00:45These days, these girls are on their own. In fact, they tell you, Didi, what is this? I will show you how to do it.

00:50I was like, what? Too fast. But they are very fortunate girls because the kind of infrastructure they are availing right now

00:59and the kind of money that women's cricket has as contracted players, we don't have to run about for equipments or gears.

01:07Way back that time, we just had coach manager and the girls.

01:11And sometimes we have to run about for sponsoring our own self for the tour.

01:17Because my dad had to reach out to his bank, to my school for my first series abroad.

01:22Well, I feel sometimes that BCCI came very late in my career.

01:25It's true, no?

01:28Until BCCI came into the picture, as an international cricketer, I used to train on matting and then just before the international tour,

01:36maybe a few sessions on turf, you can straight get into the series.

01:40So, the adjustment and those things are very challenging, but that's what made a very strong players those days.

01:48But the current generation has their own set of challenges too.

01:52Because those days, nobody really scrutinized us for how we look or how we carry ourselves on the ground.

01:59Ki match haar gaye toh, you know, nobody asked us. We are okay.

02:03But today, you are, you know, minutely watched every step.

02:07I believe that, you know, a person who doesn't have control over their emotions, it can be a little difficult as a leader.

02:14If you're a player, you're free to do that. But as a leader, there are times when you have to curb your emotions.

02:19I basically see myself mentoring because I think that is something which is very important in today's, the current players who are playing.

02:29Because there's so much of cricket and with it now in women's cricket, there is, when money flows, there are other distractions.

02:36I have seen a lot of players from my own team who could not handle the instant success that World Cup gave us.

02:45Not everybody are from cities or given that cushioning of parents who have knowledge how to groom you as children.

02:53I had that advantage, but not everyone would. There are a lot of girls who come from very interiors.

02:58And for them, this exposure is very new and they struggle.

03:02So, at those times, it's important that as a probably a senior player or if you have a mentor who can work on them,

03:08then they can actually extend their career.

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