Arguably India’s greatest ever women’s cricketer Mithali Raj decided to bid adieu to the international cricket on Wednesday. The legendary cricketer released a statement on Twitter regarding her retirement where she mentioned: ” Like all journeys, this one too must come to an end, says Mithali Raj. Thank you for all your love & support over the years!”.
The iconic batter was one of the pioneers of women’s cricket in India as she started playing for India at a very young age of 16 where she announced her arrival with a magnificent century on her debut against Ireland in Milton Keyes in 1999. Mithali represented Team India in the 6 ODI World Cup which is the most by any women cricketer. She finished her illustrious career with 10,868 runs across all three formats.
Also Read | ‘This Journey Ends But Another Beckons’: Mithali Raj Announces Retirement From International Cricket
Take a look at the top 5 knocks by Mithali Raj during her glorious career.
214 vs England (Taunton, 2002 – Test cricket)
Team India batting revolved around Mithali in the past two decades as the prolific batter didn’t waste much time showcasing her talent at a very young age. Mithali slammed a double century in the third innings of her Test career against England. Came into bat when the visitors were reeling at 45 for two in reply to the hosts’ 329 runs in the first inning she scored 214 runs from 407 balls to pull India back in the game. Her valiant double century facing English pacers helped India to post 467 runs and it helped the team secure a drawn series.
125 vs Sri Lanka (Katunayake, 2018)
Mithali was one of the consistent performers for India with the bat as her career which spanned over two decades witnessed several knocks which were memorable. The former India captain scored an unbeaten 125 against Sri Lanka in 2018 to register her highest individual score in the 50-over format. In the third ODI of India Women’s 2018 Tour of Sri Lanka, Mithali once again held the fort with Smriti Mandhana and put on 102 for the second wicket, after India lost Jemimah Rodrigues for a duck in the first over of the game. Mithali shepherded the innings and remained unbeaten as her knock was laced with a six and 14 fours. However, India lost the match by 3 wickets, but the classic knock was one of the greatest efforts by the Indian skipper in a losing cause.
Also Read | Mithali Raj Retirement: 10 Major Records That Highlights Her 26-year Long Cricketing Career
114 not out vs Ireland (Milton Keyes, 1999)
It is never an easy task to create a massive impact on the debut but Mithali did it with quite ease as she slammed 114 against Ireland to announce her arrival on the big stage. Making a debut at the age of 16 is an achievement in itself. Still, Mithali was not satisfied with that only as she itched her name in history by becoming the youngest female cricketer to score a hundred. It was a sensational performance from young Mithali as it helped India register a thumping 161-run win over Ireland.
109 vs New Zealand (Derby, 2017)
The 2017 Women’s ODI World Cup was a special event for Team India as they entered the final of the tournament for the first time. However, the road to the finale wasn’t that easy for the Women in Blue as they crossed many hurdles to get a place there. Mithali led her team from the front on several occasions during the mega event, one such was when she slammed 109 runs from 123 balls against New Zealand in the group stage fixture. Mithali set up the platform for the mega win as India won the match by a staggering 186-run victory, which allowed them to seal a spot semi-final spot in the tournament.
103 not out vs Pakistan (Cuttack, 2013)
India didn’t have a good run during the ICC Women’s World Cup 2013. But in the seventh game against arch-rivals Pakistan, the match was deemed to be a do-or-die contest. On a ground where no other team managed to score more than 105 in the tournament, India were to chase 193 after a solid show by Pakistan batters in the first innings. The hosts suffered a batting collapse with none of them making more than 26. Skipper Mithali stepped in with a splendid unbeaten 103 from 141 balls to steer the team to a six-wicket victory.
Get all the latest updates on Cricket News, Cricket Photos, Cricket Videos, IPL 2022 Live Updates and Cricket Scores here