Mithali Raj, former captain of India women’s ODI and Test teams, said on Tuesday that schools need to promote team sports if they want to encourage more girls to take up cricket as a hobby.
“Over a period of time, the schools probably stopped encouraging girls or maybe they felt having a team sport is very difficult when it comes to girls and that is why I have been hearing the panellists talking about tennis or badminton or individuals sports,” Mithali, who joined virtually, said during a panel discussion titled ‘Encouraging Girls To Play in Sports & Communities’ at Sportstar’s South Sports Conclave in Chennai.
They feel it is better to invest in individual sport... and that is why a lot of girls move to individual sports. But to have a school team, you will need a specific number of players.
“So it comes down to schools to encourage to form the team and encourage the girls so that if any girl represents India in the U-19 World Cup, the school will have the honour of having an international player.
Biopics don’t just show the journey but also the hardships and challenges of a sportsperson. These biopics serve the purpose of showing a future enthusiast with the challenges cricketers have faced, said cricketer Mithali Raj, narrating about the upcoming biopic Shabaash Mithu which is based on her lifestory.
She was speaking at a panel discussion titled ‘Encouraging Girls To Play in Sports & Communities’ at the Sportstar South Sports Conclave on Tuesday. A host of speakers discussed topics related to women and sports.
“Sports are not just a hobby but have changed into a profession. It is a brand now and so are the players,” said the cricketer.
The panel also had other participants including Olympian Anju Bobby George, Indian motorsport driver Alisha Abdullah and MBA sports management at KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Anjali Chopra. The event was moderated by former India cricketer Sudha Shah.
George talked about how safety is a concern in bringing out more girls to participate in sports. ”People are talking about issues faced by women and the government is bringing out policies to tackle them,” she said.
Alisha Abdullah, the first Indian female racing champion, talked about her journey and various issues she faced.
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Mithali Raj: One of Indian cricket’s all-time greats calls it a day
In her retirement statement, the former India captain talked about wanting to remain connected with the game.
On the day one of the greatest cricketers, Mithali Raj, announced her retirement, her father Dorai Raj was a touch worried about what she would do with the newfound free time.
“She goes to the ground daily to train. Suddenly after retirement, she won’t be able to just sit at home. She has been playing cricket for 23 years. I hope her experience and services are used to take women’s cricket to the next level,” the senior Raj said on Wednesday.
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