Having played at the top level of international cricket for more than two decades, Sachin Tendulkar and Mithali Raj have become exemplars of excellence and long careers. Tendulkar taught people to love cricket, while Mithali is the first superstar of women’s cricket. Although there have been ups and downs in the career of such great players. Ahead of Tendulkar’s 50th birthday, Mithali shared her experience of interacting with him for the first time, his influence on her batting and the advice she received to improve her game.
Mithali said, “I still remember when I spoke to him before the World Cup in England in 2017. I wanted to ask him how his career has been so long and what he does to face the new bowlers of the younger generation. . I wanted to know how he coped with it. With age, people start talking that your footwork slows down and you don’t feel the ball fast enough.
She said, “I wanted to know how he deals with these things. He gave suggestions which I implemented.” Mithali scored 409 runs in the 2017 World Cup and led India to the final under her captaincy. Mithali told that she did not talk to Sachin about technique but about the mental aspect of the game. He said, “We didn’t talk much about technique because everyone’s technique is different. Having played for such a long time, he gave the best advice you can give as a senior. At that time the expectations from me were very high. As a batsman and also as a captain.
Mithali’s first meeting with Sachin was in 2002 when she set the record for the highest individual score in women’s Test cricket. Mithali said, “I was honored at the Castrol Awards in 2002. Tendulkar wanted to know from me about my preparations and facilities. At that time we were not under the umbrella of BCCI. He wanted to know whether I play more on turf wicket or mat wicket.
