Mithali Raj on criticism of her strike rate: I don’t look to please people

Mithali Raj. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Shortly after she had let her bat do all the talking amid criticism of her strike rate, record-breaking Indian women's team skipper Mithali Raj hit back at her detractors, saying "I don't seek validation from people" after playing for so long.

Mithali on Saturday became the highest run-getter in women's cricket across formats while guiding India to a four-wicket win over England in the third and final ODI here.

As the discussion turned to the criticism around her strike rate at the post-match press conference, she responded strongly.

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Responsible player

"I do read that the criticism is about my strike rate, but I don't seek validation from people. I've played for a long time and I know that I have a certain responsibility in the team," Mithali said.

She made an unbeaten 75 off 86 balls. "I don't look to please people. I'm here to play the role that is assigned to me by the team management. When you're chasing a target you pick your bowlers, you pick your length, you pick the areas. Because I'm in good flow, I need to make the best use of me in the middle and the entire batting unit revolves around me," added Mithali.

Meanwhile, former Australia women's team captain Lisa Sthalekar expressed her amazement at Mithali ability to consistently deliver while chasing.

Star batter

"Really the star of the day was Mithali, she showed why she has continued to keep breaking records. It shows you the class that she is. Because she chases so well, she averages over 100 in ODI chases, an outstanding feat," Sthalekar said.

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