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Listen to the teacher read a diary account of a school boy:
Each day is a new beginning. It has so much to unfold and I had the best day at school today.
Cricket is something that I love. Today my teacher told us that we would be learning about a cricketer. I thought of Sachin, Virat Kohli and many other male players in the Indian cricket team but she introduced Mithali Dorai Raj, an Indian cricketer and the captain of the Indian women’s cricket team in Tests and One Day Internationals [ODIs]. I never thought a woman could play cricket so well. It was why I have never let my little sister play cricket with me. I would tell her, “It is not for you; you had better play with girls.” However, I was taken by surprise, when I learnt that Mithali started to play the game at the age of 10, and that she was selected for the Indian team at the age of 17.
Mithali lives in Hyderabad. I was interested to learn that her mother tongue is Tamil. I felt very proud that she has been widely recognised and acknowledged. She was the highest run scorer in Women’s International Cricket and the only woman cricketer to surpass the 6,000-run mark in ODIs. Mithali is the first player to score seven consecutive 50s. In fact, she is nicknamed “Tendulkar of Indian women’s cricket” as she is presently the all-time leading run scorer for India in all formats, including Tests, ODIs and T20s. I would love to quote what Mithali had to say about this compliment,
She said, “On the one hand, being compared to Sachin is an absolute privilege. I do not think I have achieved even half of what he did for the country. On the other, being a woman cricketer, I want people to know me for my own identity. I would rather not be compared to a male cricketer.”
Explanation:
The following is a diary entry of a schoolboy. He has written about the Indian Woman Cricketer Mithali Raj. The boy had written each day is a new beginning, meaning every day we see and learn different things. Every day has so much to teach us, and he said he had the best day at school that day. What happened on that day? Read on...
The boy loved cricket. When his teacher announced that they were going to learn about a cricketer that day, he started thinking about Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, and other male stars in the Indian cricket team. But to his surprise, his teacher started with the name Mithali Dorai Raj, an Indian cricketer and also the captain of the Indian Women's Cricket team. She had led the team for both test matches and One Day International (ODI) matches. The boy could not imagine that a woman could play cricket so well. He had never let his little sister play cricket with him. He would tell her that cricket was not for her and that she should play with girls only. He was surprised to know that Mithali started playing cricket when she was \(10\) years old and was selected for the team when she was \(17\) years old!
He learnt that Mithali lived in Hyderabad. He was very happy to know that her mother tongue was Tamil because he felt proud that she had been well-known, accepted and appreciated by all. She has scored maximum runs in the Women's International Cricket and the only woman to achieve the \(6000\)-run mark in ODI matches. She is also the first woman to score seven consecutive \(50\) runs in matches. She has been given the nickname "Tendulkar of Indian Women's Cricket". She is currently the highest run-scorer for India in all type of matches - test matches, ODI matches and T20 matches.
Mithali's comment to the nickname she had been given, was this — she said it was an honour to be compared with Sachin because she had not achieved even half of what Sachin has done for the country. On the other hand, she said being a woman cricketer, she wanted people to know her identity and did not want to be compared with male cricketers.
Important!
To know more about Mithali, click here.
Meanings of difficult words:
No. | Words | Meanings |
1 | unfold | gradually develop or be revealed |
2 | acknowledged | recognized as being good or important |
3 | compliment | a polite expression of praise |
4 | privilege | a special right, advantage granted only to a particular person |
Reference:
State Council of Educational Research and Training (2019). Term-2 English Standard-6. Sports Stars (pp. 81-97). Published by the Tamil Nadu Textbook and Educational Services Corporation.
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