Why was Mithali Raj dropped from India Women's XI in semi-final 2018 T20 World Cup?

Mithali Raj has been the flagbearer of Indian women's cricket, has represented the nation in six 50-over World Cups, and is the leading run-scorers in the ODIs. She is regarded as one of the greats to grace the game.

Raj also has some controversies to her name in her illustrious career studded with several laurels, which shook the entire nation. Her rift with coach Ramesh Poward during the 2018 T20 World Cup was one of the most notable.

A controversy broke out in the 2018 edition of the Women's T20 World Cup when during the semi-final, she faced an axe in the semi-final against England. As it turned out, India lost the game and was knocked out of the tournament. In a recently released book, 'Not Just a Nightwatchman – My Innings in the BCCI' by a former member of the Committee of Administrators, Vinod Rai revealed that Powar dropped Raj from the highly anticipated semi-final clash due to her poor strike rate.

Rai reveals that Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur had separate meetings with Rahul Johri (BCCI CEO) and Saba Karim (GM, cricket operations). Ramesh Powar, the Indian women's cricket team coach, met the officials, and all were advised to submit written statements.

Raj, in her statement, revealed that she was not given a credible reason for dropping her from the squad, and she was furious over the way the coach treated her after all the years she played the game. On the other hand, Powar revealed that he decided to drop Raj due to her poor performance, mainly her poor strike rate, which prompted the team management to drop her and retain the winning combination of the last match.

However, Rai further added that Kaur and Raj both met in the author's presence in Delhi and held a conversation to clear the air. "Kaur informed Raj that selectors and team management collectively decided in the team's best interest," Rai reveals. He also added that Raj confirmed that she felt humiliated in the manner she was informed about the decision. The book reveals that Powar told Raj about her exclusion during the toss, due to which the legendary skipper was taken aback.