Mithali Raj receives Outstanding Contribution to Brand India (Special Mention) at IBLA 2022

Mithali Raj is to Indian women’s cricket what Sachin Tendulkar has been to the overall game in India. Arguably India’s greatest female cricket icon, Mithali Dorai Raj has had a storied international career spanning over two decades, in which she reached plenty of milestones. The 39-year-old from Jodhpur put India on the World map in women’s cricket. Such is her soundness in batting at the top of the order that she has inspired many cricketers, some of whom are now part of the Indian team. She is the highest run scorer in ODIs, with 7,805 runs. She is also the youngest woman to score a century as well as double century, both in Test cricket. The fact that she has been playing for over 22 years and 274 days, a record, speaks to her longevity.

Mithali has been pivotal to India’s success in the limited overs formats, leading the women’s team to two ODI World Cup finals, and becoming the only Indian captain, male or female to do so. Of the 211 WODIs she batted in, she remained unbeaten on 57 occasions, a rare feat for a top-order batter. Averaging a shade over 50, she has cemented her place in the history books as not only India’s best batter, but also one of the finest in the world.

Though Test cricket is still in its early days for women’s cricket, Mithali is India’s leading run-getter in the format with 699 runs. She has a double hundred to her name as well, and is the youngest to score one. Her stint in T20Is has been phenomenal, despite a controversy involving former coach Ramesh Powar and captain Harmanpreet Kaur. Nevertheless, she is still the leading run-scorer in the format with 2,364 runs scored at a healthy average of 37.52.