I Miss That Gathering Of My Teammates- Mithali Raj:

Since 12 March, Mithali Raj, India’s women’s test captain has been at home.  She had just returned from her holiday in New Zealand to play a domestic season which is starting on March 14. The COVID 19 pandemic has been canceled all the sporting activities. 

“It’s the very first time that we’re having this lockdown in my life and everybody’s life,” says Raj.

For a person who has been on the field for two decades, the lockdown was only worked if she kept herself busy to maintain her fitness. It has taken her a few days to develop a routine and schedule her day. She said, “The last time I made a timetable was in school,  to organize my life around cricket, dance, and education.” these days, the timetable helps when I wake up and look forward to something.”

In addition to keeping herself fit, her routine includes quality time with mommy and dad and spent time cleaning the wardrobe. At 5.30 a.m. I am waking up these days to do her morning workouts. (Not something you should do while you’re playing, as your body wants to fall asleep at any minute) to do her morning workout when her mother goes for a walk in the morning.   

“In our tours, we are usually trying to get some sleep when we are practicing or on the field. There was no time every day like this to see sunrise or sunset, “she said.

I like to watch the news with my father after my evening round of exercises on the terrace, when the sun is set, to keep up to date of what is going on. “My previous talks with my dad never went beyond my financial and cricket discussions, But now dinner conversations are about what is happening around us in the world,” She said. 

Lockdown Has Given Time To Catch Up On Some Heavy Reading:

The lockdown has also given me time to read heavily. I  just completed the ‘Barefoot Coach’ by Paddy Upton, the men’s cricket team counselor, and currently reading William Dalrymple’s ‘White Mughals. “I keep it light, something I can breeze through during vigorous workouts when My strength is zapped. But I can dive into books now because there’s a lot of time.

“I still have time to find stuff from the old days in the wardrobe. I got so many things that I had from the early nineties,” she says, “memorabilia, uniforms, other paraphernalia.” “The first gem I’m ever a part of in 1993-‘ 94 was my cap at Sports Glory Club.

However, no nostalgia will compensate for what the lockdown time on the field was losing. After so many years, training was part of my life that an abrupt end left her wanting. “I miss my teammates and friends gathering,” she says attentively. “I love this meeting.

But this time in relative isolation she can not return to the field without her lessons when things get normal again. Currently, unlike many of us in our home, Mithali is on a strict diet to test our new culinary skills. “I can’t indulge in extravagant food now, so I can’t waste the energy and we are all under lockdown,” she says.

I have been practicing occasional fasting where she eats breakfast at 9 am and finished dinner at 7 pm, an in-active season routine that she can not maintain. “It took a few days to adapt, but then my body understood and quickly adapted the new diet,” she said. “Intermittent speeding is hard for some people, but I think you can train your body at any given time to understand your needs. For you, it works.