COVID-19 lockdown has made the 2021 World Cup quite open: Mithali Raj

“With the lockdown, the 2021 World Cup is quite open,” Mithali was quoted as saying to The Indian Express. “It all boils down to how teams come out of the current situation, how they train, and how quickly they adapt and get into preparing themselves."

Throwing light on the Indian team, the skipper is satisfied with the bunch.

“If not for the pandemic, we are a good team in one-dayers. We’ve done well in the ICC Championship. We pretty much won all the series except against Australia. With the kind of confidence that some of the girls, who are also part of the T20 side that did well in the T20 World Cup, the team looks promising,” said Mithali who has been confined to her apartment in Secunderabad for more than two months.

For a tournament like the World Cup, preparation plays an important part and with the uncertainty caused due to the pandemic, Mithali too isn’t sure how much game time the players would get. “I can't speak about that (the number of matches we will get to play) because it has got to do with the BCCI. It is not just them showing interest but the other boards also to try and accommodate the series. It depends on the boards, how they are going to plan and structure the series before the World Cup,” she said.

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Speaking about India’s bench strength, Mithali said, “BCCI has taken initiatives like India A tours and we had the Emerging Teams Asia Cup (last year). Now, the ICC is coming up with the U-19 World Cup. BCCI is investing in U-19 teams from every state and giving the players facilities which we have in the NCA (National Cricket Academy,) good support staff, experts like bowling and fielding coach. If you have a good India A or emerging team, where players go and gain exposure playing in Australia or Bangladesh, they will not take much time when they come to the national side. These things are already in place and working.”

The veteran who has scored over 6000 ODI runs, admitted that she had never felt so unsure about the future. She struggled to cope initially when her morning routine, meal plans, sleep pattern and workout regimen got disrupted due to the nationwide lockdown. Asked where Mithali sees herself post March 2021 considering the World Cup next year is her last, she said her sole focus is on the mega event.

“I don’t know where I see myself after a month (laughs). As I said, right now I’m motivating myself only to prepare for the 2021 World Cup. It will be my last World Cup, not my last international outing. Let's see what avenues open up after the tournament for me to give it a thought,” replied Mithali, who led India to two World Cup finals in 2005 and 2017.