Mithali Raj arrives to loud cheers

Hyderabad: Chaos reigned at the Hyderabad airport on Friday when Mithali Raj came home after guiding the Indian women’s cricket team to the World Cup final recently. There were happy faces all around. Budding girl cricketers had lined up the arrival area with welcome banners. Loud cheers rang out as the India captain stepped out, but it also led to a scrum. The police threw a ring around and whisked her away in just about five minutes along with her parents Dorai Raj and Leela and a few officials of the Sports Authority of Telangana State.

All could hear from Mithali was a few polite thank yous. The 34-year-old could not even look at, if not meet the young girls who had spent more than an hour waiting for her. Former India player G. S. Lakshmi was among those who had come to the airport. “Mithali is calm and composed but a gritty girl. I have seen her evolve as a player and as a human being too. She has taken the team to the next level and now it’s in hands of the future players to handle it properly and take it further,” said Lakshmi, now a BCCI panel match referee.

“Mithali was captain material from the initial stages of her career. I wish she continues till the next World Cup as she is fit enough,” she added. Subhadra Suri, former South Zone captain, too heaped praise on Mithali. “She travels to Vijayawada to keep away from people and does vigorous practice,” she said.