Follow UsIndian captain Mithali Raj refused to comment on her retirement following the group-stage elimination from the 2022 Women's World Cup on Sunday. India missed out on a semifinal spot after losing a thriller to South Africa by three wickets.
Mithali, only third player to have played six World Cups after Sachin Tendulkar and Javed Miandad, said that she will need time to process the defeat before looking at retirement.
"I am not in... It would not be appropriate for me to comment on my future, considering that the sort of game that we just played and as emotions are still there. It needs to settle down before I could sort of have clarity on that and give an answer to that," she said at the post-match press conference.
India began the tournament with a win over Pakistan and beat West Indies and Bangladesh, but defeats to New Zealand, Australia, England and South Africa put them out of a top-four finish. In a must-win match, India pushed till the final ball but Mignon du Preez's unbeaten 52 guided South Africa over the line.
"Honestly, right now I don't have any emotions. I'm just trying to get a hang of how the match has gone through. Probably it will hit me, maybe tomorrow, because at some point we'll have to deal with the disappointment. It's a process that will take time," she said.
Following the heartbreaking defeat, Mithali said that the team will now focus on the next World Cup.
"Every team has to go through this process of rebuilding the team especially after the ODI World Cup, so that they prepare for the next tournament in another four years. We are no different. The Indian team will probably go through the same transformation," she said.
Most of the players who featured in the finals of 2017 ODI World Cup and the 2020 T20 World Cup played in the current edition. However, the tough defeat is not the right time to speak about making wholesale changes to the team after the elimination.
"It's important that you don't take any step right now. You allow the team to process what has happened and maybe with time you know, the management, the Board, the selectors will look into it. But right now I think as players we need some time to process that," Mithali, who has the most runs in Women's World Cup history, said.
She also thanked the BCCI for providing the series against top teams in preparation for the tournament.
"The BCCI has done a great job to give us series last year against the best sides. We played South Africa at home. We toured England, Australia and we had a couple of Tests. They gave us the sort of preparation which would be ideal before a World Cup, having played New Zealand also before the World Cup," she said.
The Indian captain felt that senior pacer Jhulan Goswami, who missed the match against South Africa due to side strain, could've helped the team in a pressure situation.
"Having a senior player like her to lead the bowling attack clearly would have made a difference. But having said that, I'm sure she might be feeling very disappointed that in the last game of the Indian team she could not be part of. But then that's how it is," Mithali said.
(With inputs from PTI)