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We need to invest in youngsters, says Mithali Raj

One is the first to score 6,000 runs in women’s ODIs, the other is the first to get 200 wickets in this format. Both these cricketers have held India’s flag flying high even as others have come and gone. 

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One is the first to score 6,000 runs in women’s ODIs, the other is the first to get 200 wickets in this format. Both these cricketers have held India’s flag flying high even as others have come and gone. 

They have been the fulcrum of the Indian women’s cricket for 16 years that it is only a tribute to their longevity and undying passion for the game that they hold the record for most runs and wickets in ODIs. Mithali Raj on 6,295 runs from 191 ODIs and Jhulan Goswami on 200 wickets from 166.

Both will be looked up to by her team mates, a mix of young and experienced, some in their maiden international season while a majority of them were part of the ICC Women’s World Cup, where Mithali’s girls finished runner-up last July, when India take on Australia and England in the Twenty20 tri-series starting on Thursday at the Brabourne Stadium.

India look at this set of a minimum of four matches, and a maximum of five, if they enter March 24th final, as a preparation for this year end’s Women’s World T20 in the West Indies.

As the captaincy changes hands from Mithali in ODIs to Harmanpreet Kaur in T20Is, India have a hard road ahead. They may have won a historic double of ODI series 2-1 followed by T20 rubber 3-1 in South Africa last month but suffered a massive blow in the three-match ODI series last week in Baroda, losing 3-0 to Australia.

It is up to Mithali and Jhulan to not let the enormity of the defeats affect the team’s performance in the upcoming T20 series.

“Australia is a very superior squad. They gave their best in every department in all the 3 ODIs in Baroda,” said Mithali here on Tuesday, with her comrade Jhulan by her side at the BCCI headquarters, Cricket Centre.

“Yes, we did well in South Africa but the conditions and situations were different altogether. Australia are topmost among the teams as they have a batting line-up that goes really deep. Their bowlers are quite disciplined, and they are a very good fielding side. In all the three departments, they have been great.

“We definitely lacked partnerships in the middle order that we had on the South Africa tour. The bowlers were not as disciplined as they were in South Africa. Yes, things did not go our way. But again, the team really tried their best each match (in Baroda).”

Mithali, who broke in to the Indian ODI squad as a 16-year-old, understood the importance of giving talented youngsters a break early in the Indian team, like Mumbai’s 17-year-old Jemimah Rodrigues.

Jemimah emulated Smriti Mandhana in scoring a double century in women’s U-19 one-dayer last year and broke into the Indian team for the tour of South Africa last month and justified her selection with vital knocks of 37 and 44 in T20Is in South Africa and 42 in the third ODI against Australia in Baroda, opening with Smriti.

Mithali said: “It is always good to crack it to the Indian squad at a young age so that you have those years backing you. Likewise, Smriti has debuted early as also Deepti Sharma. We have Jemi, who has done very well in domestic season. It was the right time to give her the opportunity. She is one of those players for the future. We do have Pooja Vastrakar (18 yrs) and Taniya Bhatia (20 yrs). We have five-six young girls who have got into the squad in One-dayers and T20Is in South Africa and we need to invest in them.”

While advocating the need to invest in youngsters, Mithali (35), said that India will take time to get a good second string. India ‘A’ have been thrashed badly by the visiting Australians in the two warm-up one-dayers before the ODIs and by England in the two practice T20 matches ahead of the tri-series.

Mithali said: “We just started the formation of India ‘A’ last year after we came back from the World Cup. It will take a couple of years to get our second string in place. We do have some very young talented players but they really need that exposure.”

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