Could it be Mithali and India's Raj this time?

MUMBAI: If former skipper of the Indian women cricket team, Mithali Raj wouldn't have been a cricketer, she would have been a good student. She is a mighty fine reader of the game, keeps abreast with the latest trends, has an eye on scores of important international games even when India are not playing and has a keener eye on the opposition.
The 26-year-old, who was recently stripped of her captaincy, is without doubt the mainstays of the team and skipper Jhulan Goswami and coach Sudha Shah both expect big things from her when India travel to Australia for the ICC Women���s World Cup beginning March 7.
Now that Mithali is not the captain, it should help her focus more on batting and help India build totals that could put the opponents under pressure. But surely not being in charge takes getting used to someone who was in the saddle for a good five years (ask Sourav Ganguly).
Hands go on the hips subconsciously after a misfield, you suddenly feel like running to the bowler and giving her a piece of your mind. Then you realize that someone else is supposed to do that. Mithali though doesn't agree.
"I am still a senior player in the side and am expected to contribute to ideas and strategies. I will discuss ideas with Jhulan. Its upto her to accept them or not," she said, during a media interaction at the MCA BKC ground on Wednesday.
Indeed, Mithali has responsibilities on her shoulders. She has been designated as a batting captain along with Anjum Chopra and wicket-keeper batswoman Sulakshana Naik. Jhulan Goswami and Rumeli Dhar are the bowling captains while Amita Sharma and Reema Malhotra are the teams fielding captains.
The Indian women, barring Mithali, haven't done themselves proud with the bat lately and they can ill-afford collapses in the World Cup. Mithali realizes this.
"A score of 200 plus is a bare minimum. Gone are the days in women���s cricket where a team scored 170 and defended it. Our openers haven���t done well and that means the middle-order was exposed to the new ball almost every time. That was the problem in Australia and England," Mithali stated.
"Indias' 0-5 mauling Down Under though was in October and November when the wickets were fresh and fast. Its the end of the season and the wickets won't be too bouncy. If anything they will keep low.
"But we have prepared well for fast pitches too, especially by batting against bowling machines at the indoor facility here. We also scored 200 plus in the two practice games (against BKC academy and Payyade Sports Club) we played against a boys XI," reiterated Mithali.
Mithali already holds the record for being the highest run scorer in ODIs by an Indian cricketer. She has scored 3302 runs at 46.50 in 108 matches. In the last World Cup in South Africa, she aggregated 199 runs in eight matches at an average of 49.75. These are serious numbers indeed. Mithali has a chance to improve on them Down Under and help India embrace glory.