Mithali breaks silence, blames coach and Edulji on World T20 axing

New Delhi, Nov 27 - The selection fiasco in the Women's World T20 semi-final against England refuses to die down with the centre of the storm, former India skipper Mithali Raj on Tuesday launching a scathing attack on head coach Ramesh Powar and Committee of Administrators (CoA) member Diana Edulji for supporting the idea of benching her for the crucial tie that the team lost to bow out of the showpiece event in the Caribbean.

Mithali, the highest run-getter for India in the shortest format across men and women, wrote an emotional letter to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and Cricket Operations GM Saba Karim, where she slammed coach Powar's behaviour towards her as "unfair and discriminatory" while hitting out at Diana for "supporting" her axing.

"For the first time in a 20-year long career I felt deflated, depressed and let down. I am forced to think if my services to my country are of any value to a few people in power who are out to destroy me and break my confidence," Mithali wrote.

"To put things in perspective, I have always reposed faith in Diana Edulji and have always respected her and her position as a member of the COA. Never did I think she will use her position against me, more after hearing what all I had to go through in the Caribbean as I had spoken to her about it."

"May I say that I am aware that by writing this e-mail I am making myself even more vulnerable. she is a COA member while I am just a player. For the record, I scored back to back fifties in the games before the semi final, was adjudged player of the match on both occasions, to leave me out in the semi final and go with only three performing batters was a decision that left me baffled as much as it left the whole world," she further wrote.

"But the brazen support of a COA member is a clear sign of bias and also that a stance has already been taken against me. By saying 'I don't support someone' and then going all out to support my benching in the press is prejudice of the clearest sort," she added.

Mithali, however, clarified that she had no grudges against skipper Harmanpreet Kaur but clearly mentioned that her issue is with the coach.

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