15 Facts about Mithali Raj - The Pioneer of Indian Women's Cricket

Mithali Raj is one of the pioneers of Indian women’s cricket. She led the Indian cricket team to numerous cricketing highs. Mithali is sublime with the bat while her leadership skills are second to none. Let’s have a look at some of the most interesting facts about Mithali Raj.

1. Born & brought up:

Mithali Raj was born in Jodhpur on December 3, 1982, and is the daughter of an Air Force officer. She started playing the game at the age of 10.

2. Major caps:

Mithali Raj has represented Air India Women, Asia Women XI, India Blue Women and India Women.

3. Dream debut:

At 17, she made it to the Indian team and, in 1999, she played her first ODI against Ireland at Milton Keynes, scoring 114 runs.

4. Test highs:

On August 14, 2002, when Mithali was 19 years old, she broke Karen Rolton’s record of the highest individual Test score. She scored 214 against England.

5. Big blow:

In 2002, during the Women’s World Cup, Mithali was down with typhoid, which squashed India’s chances of winning.

6. Leading from the front:

In 2006, under her captaincy, the Indian women’s cricket team got their first Test and Series win in England

 7. Captain cool:

In 2006, she led the Indian team to victory in the Asian Cup, for the second time 12 months.

8. India’s golden girl:

In 2003, she was awarded the Arjuna Award for her excellence and contribution to the game.

9. Top charts:

In 2013, Raj was the No. 1 cricketer in the ICC ODI Rankings in the women’s division.

10. Wisden girl:

She is also the first female cricketer to win the Wisden India Cricketers of the Year recognition. She received it in April 2015.

11. Willow power:

In 10 Test matches, she scored 663 runs at an average of 51.00. She has 4 fifties and a mighty double century in Test cricket to her credit.

12. Colored dominance:

In 158 ODI’s, Raj scored 5029 runs, with 37 fifties and 5 centuries. She has a healthy average of 48.82 in ODI’s. She also picked up 8 wickets to her credit.

13. T20I’s:

In 49 T20I matches, she has scored 1303 runs at an average of 36.19. Mithali Raj already has 7 fifties in the shortest format of the game.

14. Safe pair of hands:

She is electrifying on the field. Mithali has grabbed 59 international catches so far in her career.

15. Honours:

In 2015, she was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, which she expects would support the cause of women’s cricket in India.

Also Read – Top 5 Leading run-scorers in Women’s ODI Cricket