India lost the semi-final and Mithali, her reputation

At the semi-final, she was simply wearing a red bib over her India jersey. Yes, Mithali was dropped. In a semi-final where Team India reached after 10 long years

Just who is Mithali Raj?

The greatest Indian women cricketer ever, to be more precise. And to put in place a popular parameter, Mithali is Dravid-Ganguly-Sachin all rolled together. Because she has been dependable like Dravid, elegant like Ganguly and a run-machine like Sachin Tendulkar.

But Mithali's legacy has been quashed. Terribly on a Friday morning. 

She has been told in clear words that she has overstayed her welcome. Mithali's only contribution during the Live feed that India woke up early to watch was selling Australian diamonds in a nice red gown. At the semi-final, she was simply wearing a red bib over her India jersey. Yes, Mithali was dropped. In a semi-final where Team India reached after 10 long years.

This is the beginning of the end of Mithali Raj era.

Mithali had stated that this was her last World T20. That she won’t be hanging around anymore. Maybe, Mithali got the message, albeit a bit late. India played five games this world T20, including three big games against New Zealand, Australia and the semi-finals against England. Against New Zeland, Mithali—who was opening the batting all the while—was pushed too deep down the order that she waited for her turn for 20 overs in a T20.

Against Australia and England, she was asked to sit on the bench and applaud. Instead, Mithali was given two mundane games, against Pakistan and Ireland, to fetch her runs and collect her Player of the match awards. And to get her name in record books of over-scoring Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in T20Is.

That is just disdainful. Or perhaps, Harmanpreet's words at the start and end of the semi-final were even more brutal. "It's not about dropping Mithali. It's about sticking to the winning combination," she said at the start. "Whatever we decided, we decided for the team. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, no regrets," the skipper added towards the end.   

Or perhaps, the story goes back to Tushar Arothe days. Coach Ramesh Powar realised why his predecessor Arothe was sacked. Tushar got along well with Mithali but not too much with Harman and Smriti. Powar, perhaps, realised the power set-up is changing. Harman wanted her own team. Her own coach like Virat insisted. Her own committed players. Like Dhoni did when he took up captaincy in 2007 by chopping off the dead wood.

But these days, Mithali is being compared to MS Dhoni. A declining Dhoni that is...someone who is playing more on past reputation than form. Her strike rate is seen to be below par with world standards, and given that she doesn't keep wickets or bowl, that is pretty much Mithali's contribution to the team.

Powar, who has been credited with changing the mindset of the team and also instilling belief, thinks Mithali is just a luxury this team can do without. This team will be remembered—if not forgotten like all past women team performances—for playing 5 spinners in a T20I in the same time when Virat and other teams play with just five bowlers.

But still, Virat doesn't drop Dhoni from the XI. He needs that guidance, that experience of being in the battle-field and knowing how to react. Harman missed that badly against England. When batters were falling down on all sides, you needed an anchor. Someone who can stand there, and get the score up to 130 at least.

That was not to be. Indian women cricket will be next recalled on the same lines as Olympic sports—once in four years. Clearly, next time Mithali won’t be around. She didn't deserve this exit. Team India didn't deserve this exit either. It's a pity that both, who couldn't go hand in hand during the tournament, had to go out together.