This is Part 11 of Legends of Indian Cricket, our 20-part series on the players who shaped the game in India. New here? Start with Part 1: Vinoo Mankad, or read the previous part, Part 10: Virender Sehwag.
When Mithali Raj began playing for India, women's cricket barely made the newspapers. By the time she retired in 2022, matches were sold out, broadcast live and followed by millions. Born in Jodhpur in 1982 and raised in Hyderabad, she was at the heart of that change.
A record-breaking start
- She scored 114 not out on her ODI debut against Ireland in 1999, aged 16.
- In 2002, aged 19, she made 214 against England at Taunton, then the highest individual score in women's Test cricket.
Career in numbers
- 232 ODIs and 7,805 runs, the most by any woman, with 7 centuries and 64 fifties.
- The first woman to pass 6,000 and then 7,000 ODI runs.
- 12 Tests and 699 runs.
- 89 T20Is and 2,364 runs.
- A 23-year international career, the longest in women's ODI history.
Captain in two World Cup finals
Mithali led India to the World Cup final in 2005 and again in 2017. The 2017 run, ending in a nine-run defeat to England at Lord's, captured the nation and is widely seen as the moment women's cricket in India became mainstream.
Calm and consistent
Known for her composure, classical technique and famously reading a book while waiting to bat, Mithali was the anchor of India's batting for two decades.
Honours
- Arjuna Award (2003), Padma Shri (2015) and the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna (2021).
- Her life inspired the 2022 film Shabaash Mithu.
Legacy
The Women's Premier League, equal match fees for India's women and a new generation of stars all build on foundations Mithali helped lay, alongside her long-time teammate Jhulan Goswami.
Statistics are for international cricket and are correct to the best of our knowledge as of October 2026; figures for active players will change.
Next in the series: Part 12: Jhulan Goswami.
