Mithali Raj wearing pads for long hours to get used to rigorous of Test cricket ahead of England tour

India captain MithalI Raj is leaving no stone unturned as she gears up for the much-anticipated England tour. The legendary batter will be playing her first Test in 7 years when India take on England in a one-off Test match, starting June 16.

Mithali Raj along with her India teammates are quarantining at a Mumbai hotel before they will fly to England on a chartered plane. India women are scheduled to arrive in England on June 3 along with the senior national men’s team who are also in Mumbai in quarantine.

Mithali Raj helped raise a few eyebrows when she wore pads for a ceremony at the team hotel where the players were presented with the new Test jerseys. While everybody else in the team were sporting casual clothes, Mithali was seen wearing her training kit along with the pads.

Notably, head coach Ramesh Powar had called for the meeting over the weekend at their team hotel wherein players were presented with the jerseys. A presentation with the history of the women’s sport in the country was also made during the ceremony.

Mithali Raj, speaking to Sports Today, said she was having a discussion with the batting coach in the lead up to the meeting and she continued to wear the pads for the ceremony in a bid to get used to the feeling of wearing pads for long hours.

“Usually, I am the odd person out. I was trying to change something in my setup. I wanted the batting coach to address it. And we were doing a session before the meeting. And once the meeting started, Ramesh (Powar) did tell me that I could remove my pads.

“But I said ‘no I want to get used to wearing the pads for longer hours. Let me go through the meeting wearing them’. So that was one of the reasons why I continued to wear that,” she added.

Courtesy of BCCI

Focus on maintaining balance between fitness and skill training: Mithali

India will be playing a Test, 3 ODIs and as many T20Is in England in their first major overseas tour since the pandemic. India did not international cricket for more than a year after the Women’s T20 World Cup. Their first assignment in the pandemic era was a home series against South Africa earlier this year.

Mithali Raj conceded that players were a bit rusty when they played South Africa at home as they had returned from long breaks due to lockdowns last year. The skipper said there will be a fine balance between being match fit and focussing on skill as they prepare for the all-important series in England.

“Fitness is not a concern as such but in the last series there were a couple of injuries. But we must also keep in mind that we are coming to play after a year-long gap due to lockdowns. It’s very natural for players to have niggles,” Mithali said.

“But this year, you’ll definitely see players understanding the importance of fitness. We do have trainers during quarantine and girls have been working on their fitness. Having said that, not everything depends on fitness.

“Yes, playing 3 formats requires you to be at your fittest best but importance should also be given to the skill department. There should be a fine balance. It’s important that players understand the importance of being match fit and focus on the skill department,” she added.

Having moved on from their fall-out in 2018, Mithali Raj and Ramesh Powar will be keen on helping India women make a mark in England. The women’s team is also set to play a pink-ball Test in Australia later this year before they head to New Zealand for the Women’s World Cup next year.