Sachin Tendulkar did give suggestions and I tried to put that into training: Mithali Raj

Former India women's team captain Mithali Raj spoke about her first meeting with legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar ahead of his 50th birthday. Tendulkar and Mithali are personifications of quality and longevity in world cricket, having remained at the highest level of the sport for more than two decades. Tendulkar made fans fall in love with the game, while Mithali became the first sensation of women’s cricket in the country.

Mithali spoke about the impact he had on her batting during their first conversation prior to the 2017 Women's World Cup in England. She mentioned that she had the opportunity to speak with Master Blaster in person after a group discussion. She stated that she wanted to ask Tendulkar how he was able to have such a long career and how he had to reinvent himself to compete with newer bowlers.

"I still remember our conversation before the 2017 World Cup in England. After a group conversation, I had a one-on-one chat with him. I wanted to ask him how he was able to have such a long career and how he had to reinvent himself to face new bowlers of the younger generation," Mithali told PTI.

The former India captain wondered how Tendulkar managed to play against various standout bowlers over such a long career. The 40-year-old then said that Tendulkar gave her some advice that helped her throughout the World Cup. Notably, Mithali finished the 2017 World Cup with 409 runs and guided India to the final. Although India lost in the final, it was a historic result that altered women's cricket in the country.

"When you have such a long career, every generation has stand-out bowlers, I wanted to know how he kept up with that. As you age, people start talking about your footwork getting slower, you are picking the line and length late, and you are not quick on the ball. I wanted to know how he managed to overcome all that and be on top of his game. He did give suggestions, and I tried to put that into training," the former India skipper added.