Mithali Raj’s decision to retire from T20Is the right call, opines Shantha Rangaswamy

One of the greatest batswomen to grace the game with a plethora of records to her name across all formats, Mithali Raj had earlier today announced her decision to move on from T20s and many people have come out in her support. A little more than a year ago, she had become the first Indian cricket irrespective of gender to cross the milestone of 2,000 T20I runs. 

“See, there was lot of hue and cry about her inclusion or non-inclusion (in the T20 side), but in T20 also she was the first Indian to score 2,000 runs. It is only after that Rohit Sharma and Virat (Kohli) did it. The point is no one can take-away the fact that she has by far been the greatest batter for India, forget the controversies,” former Indian women’s cricket team captain Shantha Rangaswamy was reported telling PTI by Hindustan Times.

The skipper has been playing the game for 17 years now and is already 36 years old. She is moving towards the twilight of her career and Rangaswamy believes keeping away from the high intensity T20s will help Raj stay in peak condition and concentrate on leading India to glory in the 2021 50-over World Cup.

“It is in our system that whoever succeeds, we try to pull them down. In-fact I was waiting for this announcement because we need her for the ODIs and she needs to conserve her energy (as) she is not going any younger. I think she should have announced her retirement sometime back but happy that she has taken this decision,” Rangaswamy stated.

The Padma Shri awardee has accumulated 89 caps in the format, scoring 2,364 runs including 17 half-centuries, all of which are international records.

The Padma Shri awardee has accumulated 89 caps in the format, scoring 2,364 runs including 17 half-centuries, all of which are international records. She has been lauded with congratulatory messages all over social media for her services to the game and many have taken out time to pay tribute to her and celebrate what has been a glorious career.

“She had problem with her knee, but came out of it because of her fitness regime. I think it is a good decision because T20 can be energy-sapping because it calls for very quick action and things like that. So, I think, she has taken the right decision and I am happy and would like to place on record my appreciation of all the services she has rendered even in the T20 format,” Rangaswamy signed off.