There was a time when everyone thought there will be no other Tendulkar in the Indian cricket team. Mithali Raj proved the world wrong at the early age of 16 and earned the title of ‘Lady Tendulkar’ later by smashing and making new records every now and then. But she is more than just the captain cool of the Indian Women Cricket Team.
We are taking you to the unseen side of Mithali Raj and all the achievements she got on a special occasion as she turns 39 today.
Also Read: ICC ODI Rankings 2021: Mithali Raj Becomes World No. 1 For The 8th Time
Mithali Raj “The Top Woman In Blue”- Records, Achievements And Photos
1. First Record At 16
We all know how brilliant she is on the field and this journey began at a very young age. In 1999, she made her international cricket debut, scored a century, and finished with an unbeaten score of 114 runs.
She was the first to do so. At 19, she stepped one level up by breaking the highest Individual test score by Karen Rolton.
2. Third Youngest Captain And First Youngest In ODI
Everyone was so amazed by her game and skills that she was chosen as the captain of the Indian Women’s Cricket team in 2002.
She was only 22 then and the next year she was honored with the second highest honor of the sports industry- the Arjuna Award.
3. She Is Unstoppable
Mithali’s journey of making and breaking records continued and for the first time, she became the No.1 cricketer in 2013. This was during the 2013 Women’s World Cup.
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4. First In Many Ways
The right-handed batswoman holds the captaincy records in ODI and T20I format. She has played more matches than any other women player too. 220 ODIs, 89 T20Is, and 12 Test Matches.
Raj is also the first Indian player who has scored more than thousands of runs in the World Cup.
5. Most Fifties By Any Batswoman
When it comes to ODI, Mithali is the record-maker. She is the only one on the Indian women’s cricket team to score half-centuries in a row. Overall, she has scored half-century 59 times, a little less than Tendulkar.
6. Leading Run Scorer
Raj with 7391 runs became the first woman batter who had hit runs above 7000 not just in ODI but in all formats. She is unbeatable and unstoppable as nobody has matched this record of Mithali till now.
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7. First To Lead In World Cup
A great moment not only for the Indian women cricket team captain but also for the entire nation when she led the team in World Cup 2005 finals. Though we did not win, zeal to reach finals did not slow down. Again in 2017, the Indian Women Cricket team under her captaincy made it to the WC finals.