She is back, and so are the smiles, in the company of best friend and fellow cricketer Nooshin Al Khadeer.
After a near three-month break, Indian women’s cricket ODI captain Mithali Raj started practice at the St. John’s Coaching Foundation here.
“I struggled a lot during lockdown even though it helped me to work on my fitness, working on small things on which otherwise I couldn’t have spent enough time during a busy season,” Mithali, who practised under the watchful eyes of her coach R.S.R. Murthy and mentor K. John Manoj, told The Hindu on Monday.
Missing the buzz
“There is some freshness to the game, too, after the long break though the buzz is missing in this academy as there is no one around,” she said.
The 37-year-old Mithali said that though she trained just about twice a week, she was ensuring that she enhanced her skills.
“When I resumed training, surprisingly, my body kept up with the momentum and I was pleasantly surprised with the way I was batting in the nets,” she said.
“Perhaps, it had something to do with the way I kept myself fit.
“There is a lot of clarity [on how] to plan my training sessions,” she explained. “Maybe I have to work a bit more on my endurance levels,” she added.
“So, when I reflect on resuming training, I never felt that I was coming back after such a long layoff.
“Feeling 70% okay, which is better than being about 20% ready for the game,” she said with a smile.
“I think this is the best way to get back into the groove,” she added.
Biggest event
“Next February’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand should be the biggest event for all of us if the scheduled series in England this September is cancelled because of COVID-19.
“Thankfully, New Zealand is the safest place right now and I am sincerely looking forward to it,” Mithali said.
