From Mudras, To The Middle

 The making of Mithali Raj, and how bharatnatyam’s loss became cricket’s gain

- Lalita Iyer

Mithali Raj’s home at Kanajiguda in Secunderabad has a comfortable, lived-in feel about it. Cushions lie askew, a pristine white cloth covers a harmonium, and photographs of Mithali fill an entire wall. Vying for space is a picture of ‘Ganu’, Mithali’s name for Lord Ganesh. A believer, she visits temples whenever she feels like it.

“It [faith] is something I might have instilled in her mind,” says Leela, Mithali’s affable mother. “We are religious; I told her when she was young that prayers keep you mentally strong.”

On one corner is a small television. Dorai Raj, Mithali’s father, does not believe in investing in a large TV. And, Leela does not watch matches. “Mithali has been playing cricket for so long now,” she says. “So there is no pressure when there is a match. I never watch her playing, because I do not like cricket.”

A former member of the Andhra Pradesh B team, Raj, however, watches every single match. He is miffed that India lost the World Cup. “It was her dream to win this World Cup, and then it became our dream,” he says. “That did not happen and the opportunity is gone. There is disappointment because we were the best team.”

A retired Air Force sergeant, Raj has been Mithali’s prime motivator. For the past 17 years, he has been coaching girls at Keyes High School, where she studied. He is also working with the Andhra Pradesh Cricket Association to set up an academy for girls in Tirupati.

It is Raj who picks up or drops off Mithali whenever she has to travel for matches. The family owns four cars—a Chevrolet, a Volkswagen, a BMW, and a Maruti Alto. Raj uses the first three to drive Mithali to her destinations, while the Alto, which was the first car she bought, hits the road only when the family’s two pet dogs have to be taken to the vet.