We can't be living in the past: Mithali Raj on spat with Ramesh Powar

Tags: India Women, Mithali Raj, Ramesh Rajaram Powar

Published on: May 31, 2021

Indian women’s Test and ODI captain Mithali Raj has asserted whatever issues there were between her and head coach Ramesh Powar are a thing of the past. According to Raj, like mature individuals, both have moved on and are now working towards a common goal of taking Indian women’s cricket forward. The Indian women’s team is currently quarantining in Mumbai ahead of England tour.

The series will feature India playing a Test match after seven years and will be Powar's first assignment after his return as coach of India. The former India spinner was sacked after India’s loss in the 2018 T20 World Cup semi-final. Raj was controversially dropped from the game. She and Powar were also involved in an ugly spat that played out in the open.

Asked about whether there could be any issues between her and Powar, Raj told PTI, "...we can't be living in the past."

"I've played for so many years, I don't have an ego or I don't give attention to my personal likes and dislikes. I've never done that. And 21 years has been a long time for me to sort of, you know, go through many challenges. When it comes to playing for India, it's like serving your country, so personal issues, I don't really give any weightage (to those)," she added.

According to the Indian captain, there is no point carrying the baggage from the past. She further explained, “You need to think about the bigger picture. That's how I am. There are so many things that have happened in the past, but I don't carry that baggage into my present or in the future."

The veteran cricketer also added that the team as a whole has started working towards the World Cup which, she admitted, is the primary goal at present.

"He is the coach, and he has his set of plans, it's important that both of us are aligned on the same page to take the team forward. Because even his goal is the same: that the team does well in the World Cup. It's everybody's goal in the team. We can't be bitter and carry the bitterness. I've never been a confrontational person, nor am I someone who carries the past into present. Otherwise, I wouldn't have survived for so long in a sport, which clearly needs re-inventions and revisions all the time," Raj continued.

"It's important that we are on the same page and take the team along, because we are at a very crucial phase of our preparation for the World Cup. Yeah, we have meetings, discussions regularly so clearly we have moved on," the India legend further added.

Apart from limited-overs matches, India will take on England in a one off Test from June 16 in Bristol. India will also play a day-night Test against Australia in September.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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