‘Do you want to be the Mithali Raj of Australia' - Nicole Bolton opens up on former coach’s brutal comparison

Former Australia batter Nicole Bolton recently revealed a coach's distinct comparison to Indian legend Mithali Raj became a pivotal moment in her career. Bolton opened up about her conversation with her former head coach, Cathryn Fitzpatrick, and how it impacted her approach to the game.

35-year-old, Bolton represented Australia in 55 international matches across formats. Her journey in List A cricket began in Western Australia in 2014, followed by a move to Victoria in 2015. It was during her early days with Victoria that a critical conversation with coach Fitzpatrick, a former Australia bowling legend, left a lasting impression on the young batter.

Bolton's List A debut for Victoria was marked by a century, followed by innings of 35 off 68 balls and 43 off 69 deliveries. These performances prompted Fitzpatrick to draw a comparison that would challenge Bolton's approach to batting.

“For so long, I was just trying to impress her [Fitzpatrick]. I was just trying to get her to see me. And, I just remember, she called me into her office to have a chat. And she was like, ‘Do you honestly want to be the Mithali Raj of the Australia Cricket Team?’ And I was like, ‘Mithali Raj?” Bolton said in a Stories After Stumps podcast.

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If this is how she sees me, my career is going to be pretty short-lived: Nicole Bolton

The comparison to Mithali Raj, while acknowledging her greatness, was used to highlight a perceived lack of aggression in Bolton's batting. Fitzpatrick further emphasized her point.

"And she was like, ‘Yeah, do you honestly want to strike at 50? It’s okay if you get 100 but the team still loses and you get 100 off 150 balls?’ And I was, ‘Woah! This is how Cathryn Fitzpatrick sees me. That’s not good at all. If this is how she sees me, my career is going to be pretty short-lived,'” Bolton added. 

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Fitzpatrick didn't stop there. She challenged Bolton to emulate more aggressive batters. “She sort of said to me, ‘Why can’t you be like Meg Lanning or Elyse Villani? That’s how we want you to play,” she concluded.

The impact of this conversation was almost immediate. In her next outing, Bolton showed a stunning performance, smashing 170 off just 156 balls, including 24 boundaries. This innings demonstrated her ability to adapt and respond to criticism constructively.