India did well to switch from T20 to longer format: Mithali hails historic Lord’s Test win

For legendary Mithali Raj, the standout feature of India’s whopping 270-run win over England in the one-off women’s Test was the way India adapted to the Lord’s conditions in a format they don’t play often.

On Monday, India applied a sweet conclusion to the first-ever women’s Test staged at the iconic venue, after outplaying the host in all departments across the last four days.

The batters, led by centurion Yastika Bhatia, applied themselves better than the opposition and the Kranti Gaud-led pace attack extracted a lot more out of the surface compared to the rivals. Both Yastika and Kranti etched their name on the Lord’s Honours Board.

“It’s a historic win and it’s the first Test India was playing at Lords. It’s good to see the team doing well in this format, which the women cricketers around the globe don’t get to play that often,” Mithali told PTI.

The former India skipper said Harmanpreet Kaur’s side moved on swiftly from the recent debacle at the T20 World Cup where it failed to progress to the knockout stage.

“Switching off from T20 and then getting into a longer format, it is a challenge for any cricketer, but the girls really showed up well. Also beating the home team there, it’s a very different feeling and I’m sure the girls are overjoyed and, perhaps, have moved on from the disappointment of a T20 World Cup”

“That’s what sport is all about, right? If there’s a disappointment, you still have to prepare yourself for the next day, which the girls did. They came back. They got a short break, and they are preparing for this game and the rewards are there to see,” said Mithali.

The 43-year-old was extremely happy for star performers Kranti and Yastika.

“I’m actually thrilled to see two Indian women cricketers’ names on the honours board because that’s something that is historic too right,” said Mithali, who captained India to the ODI World Cup final at Lord’s in 2017.

“I think Kranti is raw as she has broken into the Indian team last year. She was very impressive in the 50-over format. What I liked about that girl is, she is not over-awed with the occasion. She may not have the experience or the exposure before making it into the Indian team.”

“But little I interacted with her during the ODI World Cup, she’s come across somebody who enjoys the platform. She has absolutely no fear of people judging her or anything. I think that’s something incredible about that girl,” she said referring to Gaud, who took five wickets in the first innings.

On Bhatia’s comeback and her battles with injuries, Mithali added: “I think Yastika is a pretty strong character, She got injured just before (last year’s) home World Cup, and as a player, you feel incredibly sad for the fact that someone is missing out on a home World Cup. And then India goes on to win the World Cup, and you can imagine what she would have felt as an injured player.

“Then, you know, she makes a comeback and again she gets injured. So, in a span of about 8 months or so, she got injured twice. It takes a lot of resilience for a player to come out and get that 100. So, truly well-deserved for Yastika. She’s always been a talented cricketer. She just needs some time. Everybody, perhaps, requires a little bit of time when they come back from injury. Really proud of her.”

The first Women’s Test at the Lord’s was played 142 years after the maiden men’s Test was staged at the fabled ground. Ahead of the game, India head coach Amol Muzumdar said it was baffling to think that a women’s Test had not taken place at the iconic venue until now.

Mithali attributed it to destiny.

“Well, what surprises me is that we’ve played Test matches in England but never at the Lords. So, I’m not the person who can give you an answer why it took so long. But then, I think there’s always a time for things. I truly believe that when things are going really well for women’s cricket, globally I’m talking about, just not for Indian women’s team but other teams, you look at the World Cups, you look at the way that the elite athletes, elite players have been performing, just pushing the standard of women’s cricket, it just grows every series.

“So, the product of women’s cricket is so rich now that everybody wants to invest, everybody wants to follow,” she added.