Happy Birthday Mitali Raj …
Written & Edited By – Aditi Mishra
3 December 2022(New Delhi): India’s Test and ODI captain Mitali Raj is arguably the country’s most decorated female batsman. Mitali Raj, former captain of the Indian women’s national cricket team, was born on 3 December 1982. Mitali is the leading run-scorer in women’s international cricket and is considered one One of the greatest cricketers of all time. The only thing missing from Mitali’s long list of achievements is the tag of a World Cup winner and in pursuit of the same, she announced her retirement from the shortest format of the game in September 2019.
Today Mitali is celebrating her 39th birthday. Mitali Raj has turned 38 today. The batting superstar has built an illustrious international career and has been the ambassador of India women’s cricket for over two decades.
She stunned the world and took notice after making a stunning international debut as a teenager in 1999.
Cricket was never Mitali’s first love. Growing up, she learned Bharatanatyam and pursued a career as a classical dancer. But, as it turned out, destiny had other plans for her.
Her father was an officer in the Indian Air Force who inspired Mithali to be active and disciplined. And first of all he started playing cricket to please his parents. She made his ODI debut against Ireland at the age of just 16 years and 250 days. And to do so became the youngest woman ever to score a century in women’s cricket. She continues to keep records.
Mitali is the recipient of several national and international awards, including Wisden Leading Woman Cricketer in the World in 2017, Arjuna Award in 2003, Padma Shri in 2015 and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna in 2021.
In 2017, she registered seven consecutive 50-plus scores, making her the only female cricketer to do so.
Mithali is the only Indian captain (male or female) to lead the team in two different ODI World Cup finals (2005 and 2017).
Mitali is an avid reader. During the 2017 ODI World Cup final, a picture of the then Indian captain Mitali reading a book before going out to bat against England went viral on social media.
