KOCHI: After India slumped to their second successive defeat in the league phase of the
ICC Women's World Cup
,
Mithali Raj sent a terse message to her teammates. "If we play like today, we won't get through to the semis," Mithali told her compatriots when she saw her dream of leading India to a World Cup win fading after her team's lacklustre performance at Bristol, where they went down to Australia by eight wickets in their penultimate league match.
With the prospect of taking an early flight home looming, the captain's warning was the kind of wake-up call the 'Women In Blue' needed. A transformed Indian team then went on to hammer New Zealand in a must-win final group engagement to make it to the semis before stunning six-time champions Australia in the last-four clash.
The power-packed performances in the last two games have put two stalwarts of Indian women's cricket, Mithali and
Jhulan Goswami, on the cusp of realising an unfulfilled dream. The duo are the only survivors of the team who played in India's only previous appearance in a Women's World Cup final, against Australia at Centurion in 2005, in what turned out to be a forgettable summit clash for Mithali & Co.
The wounds of that defeat have still not healed as far as Mithali and Jhulan are concerned. At 34, born just eight days apart, the two are in the last leg of their glittering careers and would want to set the record straight. With an experience of 348 ODIs between them, Mithali and Jhulan are the two of the most experienced pros in women's cricket but the emergence of
Harmanpreet Kaur,
Smriti Mandhana,
Poonam Raut,
Deepti Sharma and Ekta Bisht has meant that they now have players to fall back on to shoulder their burden.
"We have players now who are of international standard. They are standing up every game. We have a new woman of the match to stand up and perform for the team. We have seen Smriti playing one of the best innings against England. Then Poonam Raut scored against Australia, we also have Harmanpreet Kaur. So the top order is scoring when it's actually needed and also the response from the bowling unit has been brilliant," Mithali said.
Nooshin Al Khadeer, who played alongside Mithali and Jhulan in the 2005 World Cup final, feels that the two legends of the game deserve a World Cup title. "I may sound selfish but then I feel the girls should win it for Mithu (Mithali) and Jhulan. It would be the just reward for the contributions both have given to women's cricket in the country. Mithu doesn't show her emotions on the field. But the way she reacted after Blackwell's dismissal (in the semis), I understand how much she wants this title. I spoke to them before the semifinal clash and told them that if we beat Australia we are going to go win the tournament. And I feel on Sunday we will all be able to see Mithu hold aloft the World Cup trophy at Lord's," said the former No.1 bowler in women's cricket.
The former off-spinner, who has 100 scalps to her credit in ODIs, also reckons that this side is quite different from the one that played in the 2005 World Cup final. "It's just not Mithali and Jhulan who are experienced pros. The likes of Harmanpreet, Poonam have plenty of games behind them. Mithali and Jhulan are used to all kind of pressures. So I am sure they will tell the girls how to handle the situation. We have nothing to lose and if there's any pressure, it's on England," added Nooshin.
Win or lose, it's certain that the world's highest run-getter and highest-wicket taker in ODIs, Mithali and Jhulan, will have their legacies intact. But lording over England at Lord's would certainly be the crowning moment of their careers and a seminal moment in Indian cricket.
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