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Who is Mithali Raj?
Born December 3, 1982, in Rajasthan, Mithali Dorai Raj is an Indian cricketer and former captain of the women's national cricket team (both Test and ODI). She grew up in Hyderabad and learned the basics of cricket alongside her brother.
Raj started playing the game when she was 10-year-old and began to take cricket coaching during her school days. She went to Keyes High School for Girls in Hyderabad and for intermediate studies, she attended Kasturba Gandhi Junior College for Women in Secunderabad.
During the initial days of her career, Mithali Raj played for the Indian Railways in the domestic competition and later played with players like Anjum Chopra, Purnima Rau and Anju Jain.
Mithali Raj's career as a cricketer
Known as the "Sachin Tendulkar of Indian women's cricket" she became the second woman player in the world and the first from India to make 10,000 international runs during the third ODI against South Africa women in March 2021.
Mithali Raj, who made her debut in June 1999 against Ireland, is the only female cricketer to score more than 7,000 runs in Women’s One Day International matches. The right-handed opening Batswoman and also an occasional right-arm leg break bowler is also the first player to score seven consecutive 50s in ODI matches.
The highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket Mithali Raj has played all three cricket formats for India; Test, One Day and T20.
Raj is the first woman to complete 20 years in the International cricket format. when she was 19, she broke the record of the world’s highest individual Test score of 209 by scoring 214 runs in August 2002.
She announced her decision to retire from T20Is in September 2019 to focus on ODI cricket. Two years later, on June 8, 2022, Mithali announced her retirement from all formats of International cricket.
Coaching career
Mithali Raj was appointed as batting consultant for the Indian women’s national cricket team when she played both as a player and a coach.
Awards
Mithali Raj is the recipient of the Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, Youth Sports Icon of Excellence Award, Vogue Sportsperson of the Year, BBC 100 Women Award and Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World Award.