OTD: Mithali Raj was born in 1982

Mithali Raj is one of the finest female cricketers to have played international cricket. She celebrated her 43rd birthday on December 3, 1982.

Born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, to a Tamil family, Mithali started playing cricket at the age of just 10. She made her international debut in an ODI clash against Ireland on June 26, 1999. The right-handed batter received her maiden Test cap against England on January 14, 2002. Her T20I debut was against England on August 5, 2006.

She holds several records in international cricket. Mithali is the only female cricketer to surpass 7,000 runs in Women’s ODIs. The top-order batter also holds the record for most half-centuries in Women’s ODIs and became the first player to score seven consecutive fifties in the format. She is the first Indian and fifth woman cricketer overall to score over 1,000 World Cup runs.

Mithali was appointed as the captain of the Indian team in 2005. She remains the only female player to have captained India in two ODI World Cup finals, doing so in 2005 and 2017.

During the 2018 Women’s T20 Asia Cup, she became the first player from India to amass 2000 runs in T20Is. She is also the first female cricketer to breach the 2000-run mark in T20Is.

Mithali created history on February 1, 2019, as she became the first woman to play 200 ODI matches. In July 2021, she went past Charlotte Edwards’ tally of 10,273 runs to become the player with the most runs in women’s international cricket. On June 8, 2022, she bid farewell to the sport.

After calling time on her playing career, Raj has ventured into commentary. She was presented with the Arjuna Award in 2003, the Padma Shri in 2015, and the Khel Ratna Award in 2021. Most of the cricketers in the current Indian team consider Raj as their idol.

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