For someone who had shown no interest in playing cricket as a child, Mithali Raj has sure come a long way. Few know that the Indian captain, who became the highest run-getter in women's ODIs, trained to be a Bharatnatyam dancer in her younger years. The fact that she would be a record-breaker in cricket, however, was predicted when she was just 10 years old.
AP
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The two people instrumental in giving India its crowning jewel in women's cricket are former Hyderabad pacer Jyothi Prasad and the late NIS coach Sampath Kumar. While it was Prasad who spotted the talent in the 10-year-old Mithali, Sampath shaped her into a world-class performer.
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Mithali or 'Mithu' as she is fondly called by her family and friends was keen on becoming a dancer. However, destiny seems to have had other ideas. Mithali's father Dorai Raj, who was an officer with the Indian Air Force and later joined the Andhra Bank, started taking his daughter to the St John's coaching camp in Secunderabad when she was 10.
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"She was a late riser and to get her into the habit of rising early, I started taking her to a cricket camp where my son was being coached. It was there that my friend Jyothi Prasad spotted her talent. After a couple of months, he told me to concentrate on my daughter instead of my son as she showed more promise. That's how her journey in cricket started," Dorai Raj told ToI here on Wednesday evening.
reuters
But Mithali's stay at St John's was short as it was an all boys' camp. "Jyothi Prasad told me to take her to Sampath Kumar at Keyes School. He also warned me that Sampath was a very strict coach but was extremely good.
After a year or so, Sampath told me that Mithali will not only go on to play for India but also break many records. I was not convinced about it but later realised how true his words were. He had also told me and my wife to give Mithali our 100% support.
reuters
She was named among the probables in the 1997 World Cup when she was just 14 but the selectors were not sure of blooding such a young player. There was no looking back after that," Dorai said.
16 year 205 days: Age when Mithali scored an unbeaten 114 vs Ireland at Milton Keynes on June 26, 1999, making her the youngest centurion in women's ODIs.