Beginning of good times: Mithali

Mumbai, July 26 

Overwhelmed by a warm reception the Indian women’s cricket team received on returning home on Wednesday, skipper Mithali Raj said it’s the beginning of good times for women’s cricket. “It’s quite overwhelming to see such kind of reception. It’s the first of its kind for all of us,” said Mithali. “I am sure the girls would have enjoyed being received like that. It is the beginning of good times for women’s cricket.”  

The Indian skipper said BCCI’s patronage has made a huge difference to women’s cricket. “Coming under BCCI has made a huge difference to women’s cricket. I always believed the interest in women’s cricket will go up if more matches were televised. Besides, the girls maintained a high standard throughout the tournament.” 

Asked if the time was right to start women’s Indian Premier League, the 34-year-old said, “After going through the World Cup and the way women’s cricket has improved, I am sure if something in that format is started in India, it will help players get even more exposure,” she said. “But again, it is up to BCCI.” 

Will win the Cup in 2021: Harmanpreet 

Star all-rounder Harmanpreet Kaur has assured the Indian fans that the team would continue to perform and win the World Cup in 2021.  “The way our team is performing is very good. We will continue to perform and win the Cup in 2021,” said Harmanpreet. 

‘We wanted to win it for Mithali, Jhulan’

Spinner Poonam Yadav, who was one of the finds of the World Cup, said the team wanted to win the Cup for Mithali and Jhulan Goswami. “Both Mithali and Jhulan are legends. They made very important contributions to the team. We wanted to win the World Cup for them. We tried our level best. They both helped us a lot and that’s why we ended up being the runners-up in the tournament,” she added. — Agencies