Mithali Raj Retires: A Look at Indian Cricketer’s Legendary Career As She Announces Retirement From International Cricket
Mithali Raj announced retirement from all formats of the game after a legendary career spanning more than two decades. Here is a look at her legendary career and accomplishments.
Mithali Raj announced retirement from all formats of the game after a legendary career spanning more than two decades. Here is a look at her legendary career and accomplishments. Mithali Raj Retires: A Look At Stats and Records of Former Indian Women's Cricket Team Captain.
The batter scored a century on her ODI debut
Mithali Raj started off her career with a bang by scoring a century in her debut ODI. The batter announced her arrival to the international scene with an unbeaten 114* against Ireland in 1999.
Leading run-scorer in women's cricket across all formats
Mithali is the leading run-scorer in women's cricket across all formats, overtaking former England player Charlotte Edwards. She has scored a total of 10,868 runs across Tests, ODIs and T20Is. In Tests, she has scored 699 runs in 12 games at an average of 43.68. In ODIs, she has scored 7,805 runs at an average of 50.68. In T20Is, he has scored 2,364 runs in 89 games at an average of 37.52.
The first woman to complete two decades in ODI Cricket
Mithali Raj is a synonym for longevity in Women's cricket. She is the first woman to complete two decades of service in the 50-over format. She made her debut in 1999 in this format. In Tests, after her debut in 2002, she played her last Test in 2021. In T20Is, she made her debut in 2006 and played her last game in 2019.
Has led India to two 50-over World Cup finals
Mithali Raj the skipper has led India to the finals of two fifty-over World Cups in 2005 and 2017 against Australia and England respectively. India lost both the finals. Also, she has led India to the finals of the 2020 T20 World Cup against Australia, which India lost as well.
She was crowned as 'Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World' in 2017
Mithali Raj has received the top honours in women's cricket from a publication considered the 'Bible of Cricket'. In 2017, she was crowned as the leading woman cricketer in the world. She had led her side to World Cup final that year.
The batter has also received 'Khel Ratna' award
Recognising her contribution to Indian cricket, women's cricket and sports in general, Mithali Raj received the Khel Ratna award in 2021. It is the highest sporting honour in India.