Hyderabad girl Mithali breaks Test record

The Hyderabad girl, playing at Taunton against England, took 400 balls and 19 boundaries to reach the target. She also became the first Indian to score a Test double century; the previous best was Sandhya Agarwal’s 190 during the 1986-87 series against England.

When Swaminathan Durairaj went to see off his daughter at Hyderabad railway station, he reminded her of her mother’s superstition: She would come to watch her daughter play only after she’d made a name for herself.

On the eve of the Test, Diana Eduljee, former India captain and now a selector, called Mithali at Taunton and added one more reminder. She wanted her ‘‘to score a hundred for me.’’

The weight of expectation didn’t slow her down or distract the Indian vice-captain, playing only her third Test innings. She played, wrote The Daily Telegraph, an innings ‘‘notable for its purity of technique and tremendous stamina’’. ‘‘Classically correct’’, wrote The Times.

‘‘Absolutely tremendous innings. She has beaten us all,’’ Diana told The Indian Express from Mumbai. ‘‘Mithali called me back last night and said: ‘‘Didi, you asked for a hundred; take this double hundred, it’s for you,’’ recalled Diana.

And the mood at Hyderabad was no different. Durairaj was ecstatic with his daughter’s performance. ‘‘Congratulatory messages have been pouring in. Diana was the first one to call me up last night to inform me about it. Mithali called later and wanted to tell her mother that she has kept her promise.’’

Mithali’s father, an officer with Andhra Bank in Hyderabad, is her current coach, guide and philosopher. As a nine-year-old Mithali was forcibly taken to the ground where her brother Mithun used to play.

This was where she received her first lessons in the game. Jyoti Prasad, a former South Zone player and Sampath Kumar saw the potential in the 12-year-old and forced Durairaj to put her in the camp. Mithali’s father did with some reluctance and within a year she was appearing in the zonal tournaments.