I might have normalised girls playing cricket on the streets: Mithali Raj on her legacy

Mithali Raj hasn't exactly gone through an entire gamut of emotions after calling time on her 23-year illustrious career last week. Mithali knew her time had come after the 2022 World Cup in New Zealand but since she doesn't like to take big decisions in a jiffy, the 39-year-old waited for couple of months before announcing her retirement. In an exclusive interview to PTI, inarguably Indian women's cricket's biggest icon spoke on a range of issues covering her legacy, experiences of playing in pre and post BCCI era, team's "inconsistent run" in the last five years, "differences in the dressing room" during the 2022 World Cup, and the 'Gen-Next' of India players.

Excerpts: Q: It has been a week since you announced your retirement. Has it sunk in yet?A: Honestly, the first time the thought of my retirement came into mind when Rahul Dravid retired (in 2012). I saw his press conference, he was quite emotional and I thought then how it will be when I retire.

Will I feel that emotion? And there were few other retirements that happened after that and I hoped that I wouldn't be that emotional. I was very clear in my mind that the World Cup was going to be my last. But I am not someone who takes decisions while I am going through a lot of emotions (which she did in the World Cup).

Then I went to the domestic T20 event and realised that I did not have the same passion and thought it was my time (to retire). I am a goal oriented person. World Cup was my goal.

After that I did not not see myself for next four years so I thought this is the right time to retire. Sometime you feel the impact of things after a while. So it still hasn't sunk in.