Mithali Raj
Mithali Raj is the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in Tests and ODI and is often regarded as one of the greatest batswomen to have ever played the game! She is the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in WODIs.
In an interview with JFW, she reveals how she has struggled a bit but always chooses to rise above it.Mithali elaborates on what it’s like to be called the ‘Tendulkar of women’s cricket’.
“Initially when they said that, it was a huge honor for me. No sportsperson in our country has reached those milestones that Tendulkar has. So if people relate to me as him, then that says a lot. But on the contrary, as a woman cricketer, I have struggled so much and I wouldn’t want to be represented as anyone else but me. For so many years, I have given my time, sweat and blood to create my own individual identity.”
Plus, she’s always quick with her sassy replies! Soon after the IPL season got over, Mithali comforted everybody with more cricket news!
Feeling the void after the IPL? We’re in Malaysia for the #Asiacup2018 🙂 #justsaying See you, India?
— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) May 29, 2018
Sania Mirza
Sania Mirza is a former world No. 1 in the doubles discipline, and has won six Grand Slam titles in her career. In her singles career, Mirza has notable wins over Svetlana Kuznetsova, Vera Zvonareva and Marion Bartoli; as well as former world No. 1s Martina Hingis, Dinara Safina, and Victoria Azarenka.
The sportswoman has inspired many to take up the sport, despite getting into several controversies related to religion and her outfits. Plus, she’s someone who’s terrific at shutting trolls down. When a reputed journalist asked her if she’s finally ready to “settle down”, she was quick to point out that her sports achievement is good enough.
She recently announced her pregnancy and everybody’s excited. In an interview with The Times of India, Sania opened up about why motherhood will not stop her from playing more tennis.
“I am excited about motherhood, but I am not giving up on my dreams and career. It’s just that I suffered a knee injury last year and couldn’t play much tennis. I have always wanted to be a mother and both Shoaib and I felt that the time was right; we were ready to be parents. However, that doesn’t mean I will stop doing what I have been doing for so many years. The plan is to get back to the game after delivery. And, I am not the only tennis player to do that. Serena Williams was back after she became a mother and there have been many others, too. Just like most working women resume their jobs after delivery, we would also like to return to the game.”
PV Sindhu
PV Sindhu is all of 22 and has achieved more than what any of us would have in our lifetime! An ace badminton player, Sindhu rose to fame when she broke into the top 20 of the BWF World Ranking in September 2012 at the age of 17. She became the first ever Indian women’s singles player to win a medal at the Badminton World Championships. And in 2015, she was the recipient of India’s fourth highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri! And she has many more records to break!
When asked about her achievements, in an interview with JFW, she tells us that it’s owing to her coach, P Gopichand.
“It is because of him I am here today. It is because of the way he has coached me since the age of 10. I am thankful to him. He has been supportive and motivating. He is there on court since morning until evening. He is very patient. There are so many players coming up. Outside the court, Gopi Sir is normal and friendly, but on court as a coach he has to be serious!” she says.
Dipika Pallikal
Born and brought up in Chennai, squash player Dipika Pallikal is the first Indian to break into the top 10 in the PSA Women’s rankings. She gained global attention in 2011, when she won three WISPA tour titles to attain a career-best ranking of 13th. She broke into the top 10 in December 2012. She became the first Female Squash player to be conferred with the Arjuna Award, India’s second highest sporting award in the year 2012
What’s awesome about her is the fact that she has been quite vocal about the double standards meted out between female and male sports persons. She had refused to participate in the National Championship Squash between 2012 and 2015 due to the inequality in prize money where the women’s championship winner was awarded only 40% of the prize money of the men’s championship winner. Equal prize money was finally agreed to for the 2016 championships where Dipika Pallikal Karthik won the title for the second time!
When the prize money was equal, this what Dipika had to say:
“I look forward to playing the nationals again. My stand (for equal prize money) was not just about me but for the entire women’s squash fraternity. Nowadays, you have more and more international events offering equal prize money. So, it is good that the national federation (SRFI) too has decided to have equal prize money.”
Saina Nehwal
Saina Nehwal is a badminton player who has broken the glass ceiling in terms of sports in the country. A former world no. 1, Saina has won over twenty three international titles, which include ten Superseries titles. Although she reached the world’s 2nd in the 2009, it was only in 2015 that she was able to attain the coveted world no. 1 ranking, thereby becoming the only female player from India and overall the second Indian player – after Prakash Padukone – to achieve! And for India, she has represented the country thrice at the Olympics, winning bronze medal along the way.
In an old interview with JFW, Saina has spoken about why it’s not fair to always expect to win.
“You cannot win all the time. I fight to win always, but people’s expectations have started becoming unrealistic. They want me to win all the time. While I appreciate their faith in me I feel they should make allowances for fitness issues. High pressure events like the Olympics drain the body and mind of sportspeople and they need sufficient time to bounce back,” she said.
She also has a biopic coming up, with Shraddha Kapoor playing her on screen!