| | DECEMBER 20219later only stronger than ever making her One Day International debut against Ireland in Milton Keynes in 1999. Mithali scored a stunning unbeaten 114 in her debut. In the 200102 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 RatnaThat 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 StagesIn 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 FalterShe 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 performances 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 GoingThe Indian women marched their way to the World Cup title that had escaped them for so long, defeating Australia by 36 runs in the semi-finals. 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 heartbreakingly 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 torchbearers 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.
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