After coach Ramesh Powar called Mithali Raj aloof and difficult to handle, the cricketer took to Twitter to express her disappointment over the recent controversy.
Raj termed her omission from the team during the semi-final of the recently-concluded World T20 in the Caribbean as the darkest day of her life. She tweeted, "I'm deeply saddened & hurt by the aspersions cast on me. My commitment to the game & 20yrs of playing for my country. The hard work, sweat, in vain."
I'm deeply saddened & hurt by the aspersions cast on me. My commitment to the game & 20yrs of playing for my country.The hard work, sweat, in vain.
— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) November 29, 2018
Today, my patriotism doubted, my skill set questioned & all the mud slinging- it's the darkest day of my life. May god give strength
"Today, my patriotism doubted, my skill set questioned & all the mud slinging - it's the darkest day of my life. May god give strength," Mithali Raj
According to reports, Ramesh Powar, the coach of the India women's team for the ICC Women's World T20, met the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials on Wednesday and submitted a report accusing Raj of being intolerable during the recently concluded World T20 tournament.
"Mithali Raj - a senior player in the team. Minimum inputs in team meetings, not a single word of appreciation after finishing at the top of the table. Could not understand & adapt to team plan. Ignored her role and batted for own milestones. Lack of keeping the momentum going which was putting extra pressure on other batters," he wrote.
His statement came after Raj had accused BCCI Committee of Administrators (CoA) member and former player Diana Edulji of bias after she was dropped from for the semi-final against England. She had also lashed out at Powar for allegedly humiliating her.
In a letter to the BCCI, she wrote, "To put things in perspective, I have always reposed faith in Diana Edulji and have always respected her and her position as a member of the COA. Never did I think she 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."