'Requires a lot of courage when treated unfairly' - Mithali Raj opens up her feud with Ramesh Powar

Former Indian captain Mithali Raj, opening up about her past feud with coach Ramesh Powar, said that it required a lot of courage when treated unfairly. The batting great said that she had to overcome a “moment of hurt, anger, frustration, and irritation” during the time to get away from the episode. For the unversed, the duo fell out around the time of the T20 World Cup in 2018, after which Powar was replaced by WV Raman as the head coach.

Raj said that she could not think straight because of all the emotions that were running in her head amidst the chaos. She also stressed how it was necessary for her to sort out her state of mind to take the field at an optimum level and give her best. The 39-year-old said that although this period hurt her a little bit, she was able to move on and perform at her best in the last year and a half. 

Everybody knows only one side of the story: Mithali Raj

“When you find yourself in the middle of chaos, you can’t really think straight because you are feeling all sorts of emotions, even if you want to internalise and think from your brain and not from your heart,” the former India batter told India Today. Raj, after falling out with Powar, was dropped from the playing XI for the remainder of the competition. After the tournament, BCCI had separate meetings with Raj and Powar and also with team skipper Harmanpreet Kaur.

“Sometimes, it is okay to be quiet. It also requires a lot of courage when you are treated unfairly… everybody knows only one side of the story and when you feel that way it is fine because, at the end of the day, I am someone who is goal-oriented,” she added. 

“I had a purpose – to play cricket at the best optimum level that I could. If I had to achieve that each time when I was to get on to the field and I wanted to give my best, it is not just about my skill, but it was also about my mental state of mind,” said Raj further. 

Earlier in the month, Raj announced her retirement from all forms of international cricket, finishing as the highest scorer in women’s international cricket.