Published By: Rohit Chatterjee

On This Day (Dec. 3): Happy B’day, Mithali Raj – The ‘Sleepy’ Girl Who Changed Indian Women’s Cricket

Two decades ago, rarely anybody could name an Indian female cricketer except one – Mithali Raj

One person's actions can change the world—a phrase we have heard multiple times. In fact, growing up, we saw two person change two crucial parts of Indian cricket. On one end, it was Sourav Ganguly changing the attitude of India’s men cricket; on the other end, it was Mithali Raj, a sleepy kid who woke generations of women and inspired them to pursue cricket in India—a sport that has always been male-dominated, especially in India.

Bharatnatyam, her first love

A young Mithali's first love was Bharatnatyam, and she got herself enrolled in Bharatnatyam classes when she was in second grade. However, she was a late riser, and to change her habit, her father used to take her to a cricket training camp where her brother used to practice.

One fine day, she was caught throwing a tennis ball quite the distance, which was spotted by former Hyderabad player Jyothi Prasad, who was Raj's father's colleague as well. It was he who pushed Raj into the world of cricket—a road less taken by women, especially two decades ago, but the rest, as they say, is history.

Raj's exploits with the willow

Raj was a seasoned batter who was great at churning out runs with her willow. In 12 Test games, she accumulated 699 runs, whereas in 232 ODIs, she hit 7,805 runs. In T20 internationals, Raj had scored 2,364 runs in 89 matches.

While statistics are often quite boring to read, her many firsts are an exciting list:

  • Mithali Raj was the first woman cricketer to score seven consecutive 50s in ODIs.
  • The player for Jodhpur was the first Indian and woman cricketer to hit 2,000 T20I runs. In fact, when she scored her 2000th run, she edged Virat Kohli, who at that point had 1,983 runs.
  • The jersey number 3 player was also the first to play 200 ODI matches.
  • Not to forget, she was also the first woman cricketer to have a career spanning 20 years.
  • In 2016, Raj became the first player to score 6,000 runs in a women's ODI.
  • Mithali was also India's first player to captain the side in most ODIs and T20Is.
  • Further, she was the first Indian captain to lead the side to the final of two ODI World Cup finals.
  • She also guided India to its first-ever Test series victory on English soil.

Records galore

When it comes to records, there are eight in Mithali's name where she stands tall at the top. The former Indian veteran holds the record for scoring the most runs in a Test innings, i.e., 214 runs in women's Test matches. At 19 years and 254 days, she was the youngest player to score a double hundred.

In Test cricket, she holds the record for most catches, i.e., three in a Test innings, whereas in ODI, she has 155 catches, the most as a captain. Despite retiring a few years ago, she still has the maximum number of runs in ODI cricket.

Not to forget, overall, she has the maximum number of runs in

Our favourite Mithali Raj moment

Similar to MS Dhoni, Mithali Raj also bears the moniker 'Captain Cool' as bestowed to her by Indian cricket fans. There are several reasons, but our absolute favourite Mithali Raj moment is from 2017.

During the 2017 World Cup, before the first game, Mithali Raj was caught in the stadium reading a book by Persian poet Rumi just before her batting against England. A cool Raj had scored 71 runs, leading India to a victory and then to the final of the tournament.

Fashion game on

Post-retirement, Raj remains associated with the game, working as a consultant for the Andhra Cricket Association. She also caught often as a commentator, but these days, her growing fashion game shows she is ageing like a fine wine.

For example, this bold pink pantsuit with a massive floral appliqué is a unique dress that not everyone can pull off, or this beige pinstriped suit with clean lines and loose-fit trousers creates a fine balance between comfort and a professional look, giving the "Boss Lady" of cricket look.

As Mithali Raj turns 42 today, we wish her a delighted birthday and hope she continues to inspire millions of more women cricketers in India and abroad.