A famous Test win over England, an ODI series win against New Zealand at home and the introduction of the players’ contract system – the women’s cricket in India took giant strides in 2014-15. If India did well as a unit, their captain Mithali Raj, a role model to many young players, raised the bar by becoming just the second female cricketer to make 5000 ODI runs. Honoured with the Padma Shri in 2015, the Hyderabadi star also expectedly bagged the MA Chidambaram Trophy for the best woman cricketer at the BCCI Awards 2014-15. With India scheduled to tour Australia later this month, followed by the ICC World T20, Mithali feels time has come for the Indian team to make a big impact. The BCCI award caps off a fairly rewarding season for you. I am very happy to receive the award again. The last time I won was in 2007-08. When I am scoring runs in the domestic circuit, it gives me the confidence to perform at the international level. I received the Padma Shri and that was important as it recognized my contribution to women’s cricket. In 2014, India were playing a Test match after eight years and your team still beat England on their home soil. How special was the win? It was a big win because the team was very raw. It was a huge challenge for me as a captain to lead a young team. It was a tough tour. To play England, the Ashes winners, with a young team was a challenge. The win boosted confidence of so many players. It gave me lots of happiness to play alongside the younger bunch and to see them do well. How would you compare the 2014 Wormsley win with the 2006 Taunton Test where India beat England? When I led the team in 2006, I had lots of players who had played Test cricket before. The team had experience as we had Anjum Chopra, Jhulan Goswami, Nooshin Al Khadeer and Hemlata Kala. In 2014, it was completely different. We had just about three-four players who had played Test cricket while eight players were making their Test debut. The players were looking up to me for everything. As a captain my work had doubled. I had to make them feel comfortable, form strategies and also plan out other things. I even wondered if I would be able to pull it off, but I am glad everything went right. I would rate our 2014 win over 2006 because we did it with a young team. India chased 220 to win the fourth ODI against New Zealand and in the same match you crossed the 5000-run mark.

Winning by chasing huge totals give you satisfaction. When you are chasing, you are under pressure. Against New Zealand, the first three games were low scoring. The fourth match turned out to be different. It is one of those matches which will go down as a very good memory. I was thrilled when I crossed the 5000-run mark. Reaching the milestone gave me a personal satisfaction as a lot of people are responsible for helping me reach where I am today. They have worked selflessly and contributed in their own way. There is a distinct similarity in the way two of India’s greatest captains lead their respective teams. Both of you and MS Dhoni remain calm on the field and don’t react much. It is not like people who are calm do not feel the jitters. I am sure even MS Dhoni at some point would have gone through a lot of pressure. Different individuals have different styles. We do not express it on the field, but we do have those phases where we are under pressure. A lot of it has to do with preparations. I put in a lot of effort before a series and not during the series. When you are prepared for different situations and when you have prepared, you are not caught unaware. You express and get aggressive when you don’t know what to do. When have plan B, you are always on the move as you know what to do next. By nature, I am a calm person and I carry that same attitude on the field. Looking ahead at the season, how big will the World T20 be for the women’s team The ICC World T20 will again provide an opportunity for the Indian team to do well at home. Before the T20 series, we have an important tour of Australia coming up and we are preparing for that. I think these are exciting times for women’s cricket in India. The contract system has been introduced and the Indian team is doing well.

It is that phase where we as players have to push for women’s cricket to go higher. If we can make some kind of impact, it will do a lot of good for women’s cricket.