"For the first time in a 20 year long career I felt deflated, depressed and let down. I am forced to think if my services to my country are of any value to a few people in power who are out to destroy me and break my confidence," she said
CoA member Diana Edulji and Harmanpreet Kaur
Mithali Raj expressed her anguish over her omission from the ICC Women's World T20 semi-final in a scathing letter yesterday. The veteran batswoman attacked Committee of Administrators member Diana Edulji, the former India women's team captain, for destroying her career.
ADVERTISEMENT
"For the first time in a 20 year long career I felt deflated, depressed and let down. I am forced to think if my services to my country are of any value to a few people in power who are out to destroy me and break my confidence," she said in her letter to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and General Manager Syed Saba Karim.
"Never did I think she [Edulji] will use her position against me, more after hearing what all I had to go through in the Caribbean as I had spoken to her about it. Her brazen support in the press with regard to the decision of my benching in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup has left me deeply distressed, more because she knows the real facts having spoken to me.
"Thereafter, her statement saying 'selection is not the COA's headache' is like suggesting there is no system of cheques and balances and anyone can do anything and get away because they have the backing of people in power. "I am aware that by writing this email, I am making myself even more vulnerable. She is a CoA member while I am just a player. By saying 'I don't support someone' and then going all out to support my benching in the press is prejudice of the clearest sort," she wrote.
On captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Raj said: "I have nothing against T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur, except for the fact that her call to support the decision of the coach to leave me out of the XI was baffling and hurtful. I wanted to win the World Cup for my country and it hurts me because we lost a golden opportunity. But I am of the opinion that Harman and I are senior players and our issues, if any, should be sorted out by the two of us by sitting across the table," she said.
Catch up on all the latest T20 news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
