Mithali Raj, Ravi Kalpana to have stands at Visakhapatnam stadium

Legendary India cricketer Mithali Raj is all set to have a stand name after her at the Dr. Y S Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam in her honour, the local state government in Vizag has confirmed. The 29-year-old Ravi Kalpana, who played seven One-Day matches for India Women, will also be honoured similarly by the Andhra Pradesh Government, as the stands are set to be inaugurated on October 12.

Notably, the opening ceremony for the newly-named stands will be done ahead of the mouth-watering clash of the ongoing Women's World Cup 2025 between India Women and Australia Women at the same venue, located in the South Indian state.

Notably, the request for such an honour was pushed for by star cricketer and Smriti Mandhana at the “Breaking Boundaries” event, back in August 2025. The ace opening believes that such a move will inspire the country's youngsters, especially the female population, to pick up sports and strive to play for the country one day. The request was promptly worked upon by Nara Lokesh, Andhra's Minister for Human Resources Development.

“Smriti Mandhana’s thoughtful suggestion captured a wider public sentiment. Translating that idea into immediate action reflects our collective commitment to gender parity and to acknowledging the trailblazers of women’s cricket,” Lokesh was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

Speaking of Mithali Raj's outstanding career for the Women in Blue, the right-handed batter played a staggering 232 ODIs, accounting for 7805 runs at an average of 50.68, which also includes seven centuries and 64 half-centuries. She made her debut in 1999 and played her last in 2022, marking an end to her 23-year-long illustrious journey in international cricket.

Mithali is a strong advocate of women empowerment in sports and other fields and is the flag-bearer of bringing about a change of inclusivity in cricket. The Vizag stadium authorities honouring the veteran cricketer is certainly going to serve as a forever reminder of her contributions to women's sports, especially in a country like India.