Former India captain Mithali Raj is celebrating her 41st birthday today. She is arguably the greatest woman cricketer India has ever produced and one of the greatest, women’s cricket has ever seen. She emerged as one of the icons of a new India where opportunities should be equal regardless of gender. Not just as a player but her importance as the leader was unparalleled as well. She led the Indian team for a long period where the women in blue touched new heights.
The Beginning
Mithali Raj made her debut for India in 1999 against Ireland. Her talent was evident from her young days and she looked apart from others. 3 years later she also went on to make her test debut against England in Lucknow. Mithali played for India in the shortest format as well. She made her debut for India in T20 cricket in 2006 against the same opposition, England. The talented right-handed batter cemented her place in the side very soon with her promising performances.
The Overview
Mithali Raj had a long and illustrious career lasting almost two decades which went through its highs and lows but one thing was constant, her drive to perform on the field no matter what happened off it. She represented India in 232 One-Day internationals scoring 7805 runs at an extraordinary average of 50.68. She made 7 centuries in her ODI career along with 64 half-centuries. The former Indian skipper is also the highest run scorer in ODI format in women’s cricket.
The Test matches are unfortunately a rarity in test cricket. Mithali could only play 12 test matches in her career where she amassed 699 runs at an average of 43.68. It would have been a delight to watch her play the toughest format of the game and a player of her caliber would have excelled in this format.
She also represented and captained India in t20 cricket. Throughout her career, she played 89 T20Is scoring 2364 runs at an average of 37.52. Her legacy as the face of Indian women’s cricket will always remain intact and her contributions will act as inspirations for generations of budding cricketers in India and around the globe.