Bristi Dey
For over two decades, she stood tall on the pitch: calm, focused, and fearless. Mithali Raj, a name that redefined Indian women’s cricket. In a glorious career spanning 23 years, she represented India 333 times across all formats and became the first captain to lead the team to two World Cup finals.
Back in 2002, Mithali made a record-breaking score which shaped the cricket of Women’s league in India. At just 19, she made the highest score of 214 in a test match against England and that would have been a huge win for India but the match eventually ended in a draw.
Mithali made her way to the international tournaments for team India at the age of just 16. She also remains the only woman to have scored seven consecutive ODI fifties.
She played with grace and received awards in swag. In 2003, she was honoured with the Arjuna Award and in 2015 with the Padma Shri. This stood as the testament for being the pioneer of women’s cricket in India.
In 2022, Mithali once again when led India at the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand. There, she etched her name in history, breaking the world record for the most matches captained in ICC Women’s World Cup history (24), surpassing the legendary Belinda Clark.
In 2022, Mithali’s incredible journey came alive on the big screen. Her story of grit and glory was immortalized in the biopic Shabaash Mithu, with Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu bringing the legendary cricketer’s spirit and determination to life.