Indian skipper Mithali Raj turns 35
Mithali Raj has been a pivotal player for the Indian women's team for the last 18 years. She made her debut aged just 16 back in 1999, and scored a century in her first game and since then, there has been no looking back for the Hyderabad girl. As the Indian skipper turns 35, here is a throwback into her illustrious career.
Rewriting history since 1999
Not everybody shines on their debut, let alone set a world record. Mithali made her debut aged 16 and 205 days against Ireland in 1999. She went on to score a 114* run innings, the highest by an Indian on debut and the second highest by any player in ODIs in 1999. She is the youngest player to score a hundred in Women's ODIs
Mithali's 18-year-long innings
Mithali's career has spanned over 18 years, the longest for an Indian player. She was handed the captaincy for the first time in 2004 vs West Indies at the age of 21 years, 94 days, thus becoming the youngest captain for India. She has also played 109 consecutive matches between 2004 and 2013, the longest streak for any player in Women's ODIs
2017 World Cup heroics
Mithali's fame grew during the 2017 Women's World Cup, where India fell short of 9 runs against England in the final. However, during the tournament the Indian skipper smashed 7 consecutive half centuries, a world record. She is also the first Indian and the 5th woman cricketer overall to score 1000 World Cup runs.
The leader
Mithali is not only one of the greatest batsmen the sport has ever seen, she is also a great captain. She is the only Indian captain, to have lead India in two World Cup finals once in 2005 and the other in 2017. She is nicknamed the 'Tendulkar of Indian women's cricket' as she the all-time leading run-scorer across all formats of the sport.
