Mithali Raj: An Innings of Achievements & Hopes in Women's Cricket
CEO Insights Team, 0
How it started
Born in a humble Tamil family in Jodhpur, Rajasthan in 1982, as the second child of Dorai Raj, who was an Airman(Warrant Officer) in the Indian Air Force, Leela Raj, Mithali first padded at the age of 10. Also a dance lover, her professional journey began at the age of 17 when she was picked up for the Indian Team and two years in, proving to one of the most promising and talented batswomen, Mithali attracted the spotlight, scoring a whopping 214 at Taunton's final test match against England. Little did India see it coming, her name now stands as a synonym of women's cricket in India.Her professional journey serves as a living inspiration to many women and today she is being conferred with Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award.
Mithali rose through the ranks of India's women's cricket squad, appearing in both Test and ODI matches. Her remarkable potential led to speculations that she would be selected for the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup at the age of 14.She did not, how ever, make the final cut.
Despite this, Mithali bounced back two years later only stronger than ever making her One Day Inter national debut against Ireland in Milton Keynes in 1999. Mithali scored a stunning unbeaten 114 in her debut. In the 2001–02 seasons, she made her Test debut for India against South Africa. There was no turning back ever since then.
she has been awarded the Khel Ratna. "After a lengthy deliberation, it was decided to submit Ashwin's name, as well as the names of the women's Test and ODI captains, for the Khel Ratna.
That same year, Mithali set a new world record for the highest individual score in the women's Test. She struck a magnificent 214 against England in her third Test as a 19-year-old, shattering Karen Rolton's record of recording the world's highest individual Test score of 209. This record was unbeatable for two years straight until Pakistan’s Kiran Baluch entered the picture.
The Big Stages
In 2005, she became the captain of the side, right before the 2005’s Women’s Cricket World Cup. Although the first match against Sri Lanka was washed away by rain, the Indian team went on to win the next three matches. Despite losing to New Zealand, the Women in Blue managed to finish second in the eight team league.
In the semi finals, the team faced familiar opponents from New Zealand. Having requested to bat first, the Indian team required a strong start in the first innings. Mithali knew she had to step up and she did exactly that. The blazing tigress hit an unbeaten 91 to help India post a total of 204 after her team witnessed a 127-4 down. Although India lost the final to Australia, Mithali shined as a captain.
She kept her fire up and led India to their first Test series victory against England. The country went on to win the 2006 Asia Cup under her leadership. India achieved the feat for the second time in a year, this time without losing a single game.
Her Captaincy Fell but Her Will Did Not Falter
She led India to their fourth consecutive Asia Cup triumph in May 2008. In addition, Mithali passed the 3000 run mark along the way.
Mithali lost her captaincy after a dismal English tour later that year, in which India failed to win a single match.
Nonetheless, her mind couldn't keep still for long and she reclaimed her captaincy with strong perfor mances on the same tour where she had previously lost it the 2012 England tour. With 251 runs, she took the top spot in the ICC's ODI batting rankings. Despite her outstanding performances, she was unable to preserve the series, as India went on to lose the series 3-2. In 2017, she became only the second player in WODI history to reach the milestone of 5,500 runs. She surpassed that achievement by becoming the first female batswoman to score 6,000 runs in the limited overs format.
How it’s Going
The Indian women marched their way to the World Cup title that had escaped them for so long, defeating Australia by 36 runs in the semifinals. Their rapid success had drawn the attention of the entire country.
In the thrilling finals, India managed to hold host England to a total of 228 points. Mithali, on the other hand, had a disastrous second innings, as he was run-out after scoring only 17 runs. Despite a brave effort from opener Poonam Raut, who scored 86 runs, India would go on to lose heart breakingly by only 8 runs.
Mithali Raj is the only female cricketer in history to have played for 22 years. She has established a name synonymous with women's cricket in India over time as a result of her significant contributions to the sport. She made her debut for India in 1999 and has been one of the country's torch bearers of women's cricket ever since.
Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh, for example, were motivated by her success on the biggest platform to take up cricket in tier-2 cities across the country. On June 26, 1999, she made her India debut. In both men's and women's cricket, only Sachin Tendulkar (22 years 91 days) has a lengthier career. No other cricketer has played for the national team for as long as he has. She has played 11 Tests 215 ODIs, and 89 T20Is for India thus far in her career. She has a total of 10,203 runs, including eight centuries and 77 half centuries, across all centuries.
The BCCI had suggested her, Ravi Ashwin, and Shikhar Dhawan for the award back in June.
Dhawan will receive the Arjuna Award, while she has been awarded the Khel Ratna. "After a lengthy deliberation, it was decided to submit Ashwin's name, as well as the names of the women's Test and ODI captains, for the Khel Ratna.
She kept her fire up and led India to their first Test series victory against England. The country went on to win the 2006 Asia Cup under her leadership. India achieved the feat for the second time in a year, this time without losing a single game.
Her Captaincy Fell but Her Will Did Not Falter
She led India to their fourth consecutive Asia Cup triumph in May 2008. In addition, Mithali passed the 3000 run mark along the way.
Mithali lost her captaincy after a dismal English tour later that year, in which India failed to win a single match.
Nonetheless, her mind couldn't keep still for long and she reclaimed her captaincy with strong perfor mances on the same tour where she had previously lost it the 2012 England tour. With 251 runs, she took the top spot in the ICC's ODI batting rankings. Despite her outstanding performances, she was unable to preserve the series, as India went on to lose the series 3-2. In 2017, she became only the second player in WODI history to reach the milestone of 5,500 runs. She surpassed that achievement by becoming the first female batswoman to score 6,000 runs in the limited overs format.
How it’s Going
The Indian women marched their way to the World Cup title that had escaped them for so long, defeating Australia by 36 runs in the semifinals. Their rapid success had drawn the attention of the entire country.
In the thrilling finals, India managed to hold host England to a total of 228 points. Mithali, on the other hand, had a disastrous second innings, as he was run-out after scoring only 17 runs. Despite a brave effort from opener Poonam Raut, who scored 86 runs, India would go on to lose heart breakingly by only 8 runs.
Mithali Raj is the only female cricketer in history to have played for 22 years. She has established a name synonymous with women's cricket in India over time as a result of her significant contributions to the sport. She made her debut for India in 1999 and has been one of the country's torch bearers of women's cricket ever since.
Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh, for example, were motivated by her success on the biggest platform to take up cricket in tier-2 cities across the country. On June 26, 1999, she made her India debut. In both men's and women's cricket, only Sachin Tendulkar (22 years 91 days) has a lengthier career. No other cricketer has played for the national team for as long as he has. She has played 11 Tests 215 ODIs, and 89 T20Is for India thus far in her career. She has a total of 10,203 runs, including eight centuries and 77 half centuries, across all centuries.
The BCCI had suggested her, Ravi Ashwin, and Shikhar Dhawan for the award back in June.
Dhawan will receive the Arjuna Award, while she has been awarded the Khel Ratna. "After a lengthy deliberation, it was decided to submit Ashwin's name, as well as the names of the women's Test and ODI captains, for the Khel Ratna.