Indian women’s ODI skipper Mithali Raj made her Tamil fans proud on Tuesday evening even as she asserted that the language was her mother tongue while giving it back to a Twitter user who questioned why she doesn’t speak in Tamil. "Tamil is my mother tongue. I speak Tamil well. It is my pride to live as a Tamilian," she wrote in the oldest classical language in the world. Her tweet was in response to a user who declared that she did not know Tamil.
Stating that she is above all a proud Indian, she shut down the criticism promptly, even dedicating the Taylor Swift's song 'You Need To Calm Down' to the user. “but above it all I am very proud indian ! Also my dear sugu ,you constant criticism on each and every post of mine ,you day to day advice on how and what should I do is exactly what keeps me going,(sic)” she wrote.
Mithali, who completed 20 years in international cricket during the recent ODI series against South Africa, was criticised by a user on Twitter who believed the cricketer ignores her mother tongue and speaks only in English, Hindi or Telugu. "She doesn't know Tamil. She will speak in eng, Telugu, Hindi", tweeted the user.
தமிழ் என் தாய் மொழி..
— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) October 15, 2019
நான் தமிழ் நன்றாக பேசுவேன்..
தமிழனாய் வாழ்வது எனக்கு பெருமை.. but above it all I am very proud indian ! Also my dear sugu ,you constant criticism on each and every post of mine ,you day to day advice on how and what should I do is exactly what keeps me going https://t.co/udOqOO2ejx
Mithali was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan to Tamil parents. She later moved to Hyderabad, Telangana where she trained to be a cricketer. Fellow players who have shared the dressing room with Mithali have previously told the media that she speaks in Tamil while at home or with fellow Tamil players.
Mithali holds the distinction of being the only female cricketer to have played ODI cricket for over two decades.
The right-handed batter also holds the record for playing the maximum number of ODIs in women's cricket. She has played 206 ODIs till now and is followed by England's Charlotte Edwards (191), India's Jhulan Goswami (178), Alex Blackwell of Australia (144).
(With IANS input)