After Dhoni and Tendulkar, Mithali Raj's biopic is on the cards

The Indian Women’s cricket team and history were separated by a hair width on Sunday at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground. The bravehearts from India were defeated by the hosts England by a slim margin in the final of ICC Women’s World Cup 2017. However, with the best ever performance in the grandest platform of women’s cricket, the Women in Blue have already made a name for themselves.

Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma are household names now. Led by skipper Mithali Raj, India finished off a great campaign with a disappointing loss. But as cliched as it sounds, it is indeed true that the ladies might have lost the game but they surely won many hearts. While Kaurs and Mandhanas will be seen donning the blue jersey in the next editions of World Cup to come, yesterday was probably the last go at the trophy for Mithali.

The Rajasthan-born player’s age is 34 now. The career of the owner of 6190 runs in ODIs will probably end without boasting of a World Cup. But her contributions to Indian Women’s cricket over the years is commendable. Hence, after the legends of the game like Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, it is the turn of Mithali to feature on the silver screen.

The agency which handles the portfolios of cricketers like Raj and Kaur, Medallin Sports admitted that they have received an offer from a production house to make a biopic of the Indian skipper. “We have started to receive a range of queries on the duo over the last fortnight or so. In Mithali’s case, a publishing house has approached us for the rights of an autobiography of her after a picture of her reading a book to calm her nerves before going out to bat became viral. A number of corporate houses, ranging from two-wheelers, FMCGs to real estate companies meanwhile are interested in taking them on board as brand ambassadors,” said Varun Chopra, the co-founder of Medallin Sports while speaking to Gulf News from India.

While Raj already was a popular cricketer in the brand endorsement field, boasting of six to eight contracts, Kaur has been suddenly bagged to the limelight after his stunning knock of 171 in the semi-final against Australia. Chopra, however, believes that her sting with the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League is the main reason behind her growing popularity.

“A key factor behind Kaur’s growth as a cricketer was her stint in the T20 Big Bash for women in Australia last year. The T20 leagues help players develop that special ability to soak in the pressure — something which the Indian team was found wanting in the final overs at The Lords,” said Chopra.

Chopra wants women’s IPL

Just like the women’s Big Bash League, Chopra has demanded a women’s Indian Premier League. “An event like the IPL will help our players toughen up, apart from allowing the Indian cricket board to exploit the marketing potential of women’s game on the heels of a well-marketed World Cup,” he opined.