Mithali Raj named Leading Women Cricketer In The World by Wisden

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Dev Tyagi
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It’s 2017. The world’s besotted with inarguably the most anticipated tournament- the ICC Women’s World Cup. India is batting first and the English seem engaged concocting plans of their opponents’ downfall. Then suddenly, the focus of the media shifts glaringly so to the sight of the Indian captain in the dugout.



Sitting all padded up, she has a book in her hand. What’s happening? That’s a first, most wonder with glee and confusion.



Nearly 6 months later, Wisden elects the captain of runner’s up of ICC Women’s World Cup - India - Mithali Raj as the 2017 Women’s cricketer of the year.



For most of the media pleasantly moved by the sight of Mithali Raj reading a book in the dugout whilst her batswomen were busy pillaging their English opponents, the astonishment may now be replaced with a sense of irony; a pleasing one at.



After all, few things would suffice Mithali Raj better than one of Rumi’s most poignant phrases, the subject of her inquisition then during ICC Women’s 2017 World Cup, “What you seek is seeking you.”



Not a ball smasher, not an enforcer of rebukes and rage at her opponents. Sedately aggressive in her approach, with those focused eyes brushing aside anything else that comes in way of her imperious dedication of seeing off pressure and collecting useful runs.



What else, we wonder, might Mithali Raj want to achieve in a sport she’s taken to supreme heights ever since she first wielded a willow back in 1999?



You get a sense of contentment, regardless of whether you are an opponent or are her contemporary in Indian colours - with Raj’s name topping Wisden’s 2017 list of Women’s cricketers.



While for her fans in India, who used to be seeing national headlines inked with the profuse appreciation of stars in the men’s game, the start of a watershed moment, for those who’ve closely followed the courageous rise of women’s game, it’s justice well served and fitting, to say the least. After all, it was back in 2017 World Cup, won by England and hosted by England that Raj broke arguably one of greatest English talents’ record. In going past Charlotte Edwards’ 5992 ODI runs, Raj raised her bat to the delight of crowds, who were now witnessing an Indian on top of one of a whopping ODI feat.



To this date, Raj is the highest ODI scorer in the history of the women’s game. It will be broken in the years to come but would take quite a mighty undoing from critics and their lapse of reason to note that in the past several decades of the women’s game, no stranger to astonishing talent, none managed to scale mount 6000.



Another reason to tip the hat to the most capped player in ODI history is that it was fittingly in the last World Cup that Raj scored her seventh back to back fifty, a record that hasn’t been matched yet and a mark of her incessant consistency.



At an age where any batswoman would undergo a rough patch or two and possibly a series from which one may never return to scoring ways, it’s heartening to note that Mithali corrected a series of ordinary turnouts in the recent few games by going on to score a match-winning fifty in India’s 2-1 triumph at home.



This time, coming once again versus England but earning her praise from all, as is so often the case.
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