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Mithali sees bright future for women
Overwhelmed by the warm reception on returning home after their memorable campaign at the ICC World Cup, Indian skipper Mithali Raj on Wednesday said it is just a beginning of good time for women’s cricket.
Mumbai: Overwhelmed by the warm reception on returning home after their memorable campaign at the ICC World Cup, Indian skipper Mithali Raj on Wednesday said it is just a beginning of good time for women’s cricket.
“It’s overwhelming to see such kind of reception, it’s first of kind for all of us, I faced kind of similar one in 2005, then we were not under BCCI,” said Mithali, who guided India to the finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup.
“I was wondering had we been under BCCI what kind of reaction we would get, girls would have enjoyed being received like that, it is just a beginning of good time for Women’s Cricket,” she added.
Meanwhile, she reiterated her plea for an Indian Premier League (IPL)-styled T20 tournament for the women but left it for the BCCI to decide.
The 34-year-old right-hander after the team landed here on Wednesday, she said: "If something like this is started in India, it will help players get exposure but it's up to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)," she said.
Raj and Co. received a rousing reception after their arrival in Mumbai with fans turning out in big numbers at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
The Indian team finished as runner-ups in the quadrennial event after losing narrowly by nine runs against hosts England in the final last Sunday and the skipper said her team deserves every bit of accolades.
“They always deserved it, now because of broadcasting and televising of the game it is more, coming under BCCI has made a difference. I always believed if more matches are televised we can attract more people,” said Raj, who became the leading run-scorer in women’s One-day Internationals during the event.
“The way the girls have played, Indian and other teams have put up good standard of cricket in World Cup and it has given impetus to women cricket globally, it has given us more positive feedback,” she added.
