In the early 90s, the late Sampath Kumar, a low-profile cricket coach of the then APSRTC, used to take with him a young Mithali Raj to media houses to serve as a reminder of sorts about the huge potential the young cricketer had.
It was tough for Sampath and Mithali’s parents to see the kid make a difficult choice between cricket and her first love - classical dancing (Bharatnatyam). In retrospect, Bharatnatyam’s loss turned out to be cricket’s huge gain.
So, when Mithali - often dubbed as the Sachin Tendulkar of women’s cricket for her monumental feats with the willow - it was a culmination of an era in which she defied all odds.
