Indian women’s cricket team’s captain, Mithali Raj, on Wednesday bid farewell to all forms of international cricket. Mithali – one of the longest-serving cricketers in the history of the game – had made her debut back in 1999 and played her final game for Team India at the 2022 Women’s World Cup.
There is no doubt that Mithali remains one of the finest women cricketers to have ever played the game and on that note, let’s have a look at some incredible records held by the former India skipper:
- Most capped ODI player:
Mithali ended her phenomenal career as the most capped ODI player. She made her India debut in an ODI against Ireland (in 1999) as a 16-year-old and went on to wear 232 caps in 22 years.
- Most fifty-plus scores in international cricket:
Notably, Mithali has 71 fifty-plus scores in ODIs and 17 fifty-plus scores in T20Is. Her combined tally of 88 fifty-plus scores is the most by any player in the history of women’s international cricket.
- Most World Cups:
Mithali has represented India in six World Cups. The only players to match her incredible longevity are India legend Sachin Tendulkar and Pakistan’s great Javed Miandad.
- Longest ODI career:
Speaking about longevity, Mithali is ahead of everyone when it comes to the length of her ODI career. Her career spanned 22 years, and 274 days and is the longest period for a player in ODIs, among both men and women.
- Most matches, wins and runs as captain:
Mithali holds the record of playing most matches as the captain in ODIs. She has led India Women in 155 games. She also owns the record for most wins (89), most runs (5319) and most 50-plus scores (52) as captain in this format.
- Most runs in international cricket:
10,868 runs scored by Mithali across all three formats in international cricket. It is the most by any batter in Women’s cricket history.
