Mithali Raj reveals a potential marriage prospect asked her to leave cricket

Summary: Mithali recalls a potential suitor and his demand to her before marriage.

At the age of 25, Mithali Raj recounted that one of the suitors requested she leave cricket when she was captaining the Indian team to take care of his family. 

The journey of former Indian cricketer Mithali Raj, who captained the national side from 2004 to 2022, decided to pursue her aspirations on her own terms.

She revealed some shocking reasons for not getting married in a recent interview. At the age of 25, she was leading the Indian cricket team when one of the suitors requested she leave the sport to take care of his family and the children.

In an interview with Ranveer Allahabadia on his YouTube channel, Mithali said that none of the possible suitors, who were arranged by her mother's sister, realized they were speaking with the Indian women's cricket team's captain at the time. 

She revealed that she found it odd that men would immediately go into "post-marriage scenes" after chit-chatting when they talked about the number of children they want. Mithali said that at that age, she was just focused on her profession and Indian cricket, and she never gave such "post-marriage" decisions a second thought.

“I didn't get that sense, honestly (that they were talking to Mithali Raj). Now these calls were set up by my mother's sister, so I agreed to talk. So after the pleasantries, they would dive straight into post-marriage scenes, discussing how many kids they wanted. I was taken aback because those were the things I never imagined, nor did I ever discuss with anyone. I would always think about Indian cricket. So yes, I was taken aback by some of those statements about how many kids I want or that I have to let go of cricket.”

The Indian cricket icon then shared an encounter with a soon-to-be husband, who insisted that Mithali, during her prime, would need to leave cricket and care for the family and children if they were to wed. The 42-year-old expressed that the discussion was disheartening when her values were questioned, particularly when asked if she would prioritize cricket over caring for his ailing mother. 

“I was the current Indian captain then. One of them said you have to leave cricket because after marriage you have to look after the kids. I was still absorbing those statements. I don't remember his name, though.”

“The strangest question he asked was, 'If something happened to my mother, would you look after her or go and play cricket?' straightway replied, asking, 'What sort of question is this?' He said: 'I need to know what is more important to you.' And I replied, saying, 'That will depend on the situation.' I don't exactly remember what I said next, but it put me off.”

Mithali said how she decided not to give up on her profession because of marriage after speaking with a friend who claimed that those were typical questions encountered by all female cricket players.