Rajasthan-born Mithali Raj is now considered one of the best women cricketers. She is also a good bowler, specialising in right-arm leg breaks.
Here are some quick facts and highlights from the star's career as she completes 20 years in International Cricket today.
- Indian women cricket team’s senior most player Mithali Raj is the captain of the Women’s ODI team.
- Mithali has recorded the highest score by an Indian woman in T20s.
- The 35-year-old right-handed batswoman became the first Indian cricketer to score 2000 runs in Twenty20 Internationals (T20I).
- She is a powerful sporting icon whose performance during 2017 Women’s World Cup in England stole the show.
- She loves to read. Before walking out to bat against England, she read a book by Jalaluddin Rumi on life essentials.
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Picture Credit: Espn
READ: Mithali Raj To Write Her Memoir
- Before cricket, Mithali was crazy about classical dancing. She learnt Bharatnatyam and wanted to make a career in dancing.
- She is the daughter of an Air Force officer, her interest to be a part of cricket started at the age of 10.
- To handle a lazy kid, her parents introduced Mithali to cricket to be disciplined and active.
- She debuted in One-Day International (ODIs) in 1999 as 17-year-old.
- She is the youngest female cricketer to score a hundred on her ODI debut.
- She is till now only one of five women to score centuries on debut and the youngest centurion in women’s cricket history.
- Mithali became the first Indian woman and the 2nd female cricketer in the world to cross 5000 ODI runs. That day Twitterati made her famous as ‘Lady Sachin.’
- Young Mithali at the age of 19 on August 14, 2002, broke Karen Rolton’s record of highest individual test score.
- In 2003, she received the Arjuna Award.
- She also received the Padma Shri in 2015.
- The same year she became the first female cricketer to win the Wisden India Cricketer of the Year.
- Under her captaincy in the year of 2006, the Indian women’s cricket team bagged their first Test and Series win in England. In the same year, the Indian team again won the Asian Cup, for the second time in twelve months.
- She has been titled as a “dangerous cricketer” due to her bowling techniques and unexpected attacking spirit.
- If not a cricketer Mithali would have been in civil services.
Carry on Captain, we are rooting for you. More power to you!
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