Mithali Raj facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mithali Raj

Mithali during receiving Padma Shri Award in 2015
Personal information
Full name	Mithali Raj
Born	(1982-12-03) 3 December 1982 (age 42) Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Height	5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm leg break
Role	Top-order batter
International information
National side	India (1999–2022)
Test debut (cap 56)	14 January 2002 v England
Last Test	30 September 2021 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 56)	26 June 1999 v Ireland
Last ODI	27 March 2022 v South Africa
ODI shirt no.	03
T20I debut (cap 9)	5 August 2006 v England
Last T20I	9 March 2019 v England
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1996/97–1998/99	Andhra
1999/00	Air India
2000/01–2021/22	Railways
2018	Supernovas
2019–2022	Velocity
Career statistics
Competition WTest WODI WT20I Matches 12 232 89 Runs scored 699 7,805 2,364 Batting average 43.68 50.68 37.52 100s/50s 1/4 7/64 0/17 Top score 214 125* 97* Balls bowled 72 171 6 Wickets 0 8 0 Bowling average – 11.37 – 5 wickets in innings – 0 – 10 wickets in match – 0 – Best bowling – 3/4 – Catches/stumpings 12/– 58/- 19/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 27 March 2022
Medal record Representing  India Women's cricket ODI World Cup Second 2005 South Africa Second 2017 England and Wales Asia Cup 2005-06 Pakistan 2006 India 2008 Sri Lanka 2012 China 2016 Thailand Second 2018 Malaysia

Mithali Raj, born on 3 December 1982, is a famous Indian former cricket player. She was the captain of the national team for many years, from 2004 to 2022. She is known as the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket. ESPN even called her one of the greatest female cricketers ever!

Mithali Raj has won many important awards. These include the Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World in 2017. She also received the Arjuna Award in 2003, the Padma Shri in 2015, and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021.

She holds many amazing records in international cricket. She is the only female cricketer to score over 7,000 runs in Women's One Day International (WODI) matches. She was also the first player to score seven half-centuries in a row in ODIs. Mithali Raj also has the record for the most half-centuries in WODIs.

In 2005, Mithali became the permanent captain of the Indian team. She is the only female player to lead India in more than one ICC ODI World Cup final. She did this in both the 2005 and 2017 tournaments.

In June 2018, she became the first player from India to score 2,000 runs in T20 International matches. She was also the first female cricketer worldwide to reach this milestone in WT20I runs.

In February 2019, Mithali Raj made history again. She became the first woman to play in 200 ODI matches. In September 2019, she decided to stop playing T20Is to focus on ODI cricket. By 2019, she had completed 20 years in international cricket, a first for a woman.

In July 2021, she broke Charlotte Edwards's record. Mithali became the player with the most runs in women's international cricket, scoring over 10,273 runs. On 8 June 2022, Mithali Raj announced she was retiring from all types of international cricket.

Early Life and Start in Cricket

Mithali Raj was born on 3 December 1982, in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Her family is Tamil. Her mother is Leela Raj, and her father, Dorai Raj, worked in the Indian Air Force. She lives in Hyderabad, Telangana.

Mithali started playing cricket when she was just ten years old. She went to Keyes High School for Girls in Hyderabad. She also attended Kasturba Gandhi Junior College for Women in Secunderabad. She received cricket coaching from a young age, often practicing with her older brother.

Playing for Teams

Mithali Raj played for Air India with other famous cricketers like Purnima Rau. Later, she joined Railways for the domestic championship. She also played for the Supernovas and Velocity teams. These teams are part of the Women's T20 Challenge.

Amazing International Career

Mithali Raj played in all three types of international cricket for India. These are Test, ODI (One Day International), and T20 (Twenty20). When she was fourteen, she was considered for the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup. However, she did not make it into the final team.

She played her first ODI match in 1999 against Ireland in Milton Keynes, UK. In that game, she scored an amazing 114 runs without being out. Her first Test match was in the 2001–02 season against South Africa in Lucknow, India.

Breaking Records

On 17 August 2002, when she was 19, Mithali broke a world record. She scored 214 runs against England in a Test match. This was the highest individual Test score at the time. Later, Kiran Baluch of Pakistan broke this record in 2004.

In February 2017, Mithali became the second player to score 5,500 runs in ODIs. In July 2017, she became the first player to score 6,000 runs in WODIs. She also played on the ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year in December 2017.

Leading the Indian Team

In South Africa in 2005, Mithali led India to their first final in the 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup. They lost to Australia in that match. In August 2006, she led her team to their first Test series win in England. That year, her team also successfully defended the Asia Cup without losing a game.

Mithali Raj is the first player to captain the most matches for India in both ODI and T20I cricket. She led the Indian team to the final of the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup. In that game, the team lost to England by nine runs.

In October 2018, she was part of India's team for the 2018 ICC Women's World Twenty20 tournament. In September 2019, she retired from T20I cricket. She wanted to focus on preparing for the 2021 one-day World Cup.

In November 2020, Mithali was nominated for the Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Award. This award is for the ICC Female Cricketer of the Decade. In May 2021, she was named captain of India's Test squad. This was for their special match against the England women's cricket team. In January 2022, she was again named captain for the 2022 Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.

On 8 June 2022, Mithali Raj announced her retirement from all forms of International cricket.

Her Cricket Records

• Mithali Raj is often called "Lady Tendulkar of Indian Women's cricket." This is because she is the top run-scorer for India in all cricket types. This includes Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.
• During the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup, Mithali scored her seventh half-century in a row. This set a new record for most consecutive fifties by a player.
• She is the first Indian and fifth woman cricketer overall to score over 1,000 runs in World Cup matches.
• She holds the record for playing the most consecutive Women's One Day Internationals for a team (109 matches).

Awards and Recognition

Mithali Raj has received many important awards for her cricket achievements.

Mithali Raj receiving the Arjuna Award from President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam in 2003.

President Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Shri Award to Mithali Raj in New Delhi, 2015.

Mithali Raj receiving the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award from President Ramnath Kovind in 2021.

Life Beyond Cricket

Personal life and interests

Outside of cricket, Mithali Raj is also a talented Bharatanatyam dancer.