India’s ODI skipper Mithali Raj on Saturday broke the record for most matches captained in the ICC Women’s World Cup, surpassing former Australian counterpart Belinda Clark.
Mithali, 39, led the country in 24 World Cup games, claiming 14 victories, 8 losses and one no result. Clark had captained her side in 23 matches.
The India skipper achieved the feat when she stepped out to lead the country against the West Indies in a crucial match in the ongoing showpiece event here.
Interestingly, Mithali and Clark are the only two cricketers to have led their country at more than two World Cups.
Last Sunday, Mithali became only the third cricketer and the first woman to appear in six World Cups, joining the iconic Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistani great Javed Miandad.
Meanwhile, India have opted to bat first in their third match of the marquee event. Explaining her decision, Mithali said, “It’s the same strip we played the other day, it could slow down in the second half and that’s why we chose to bat.
“We are looking forward to put total that we can defend. We need to improve as a batting unit and it’s a fresh start today. We know the wicket is the same from our last game and it’s on the slower side,” she added.
India, who finished as the runners-up in 2017 when they lost to England in the summit clash, started their campaign with an impressive win over Pakistan before losing to New Zealand.
Playing XIs
India Women: Yastika Bhatia, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Mithali Raj (captain), Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh (wk), Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Jhulan Goswami, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad
West Indies Women: Deandra Dottin, Hayley Matthews, Kycia Knight, Stafanie Taylor (captain), Shemaine Campbelle (wk), Chedean Nation, Chinelle Henry, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Anisa Mohammed, Shakera Selman
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