Mithali, the double centurion

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Maithilee Shetty
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Mithali Raj at the centre as India enter WT20 semifinal after eight years

Mithali Raj in action. ©ICC

The final ODI between New Zealand and India in Hamilton marked 200th ODI for the India Skipper, Mithali Raj. India lost the match, as though the 200th ODI milestone appeared to be jinx for Team India both men and women. She becomes the first woman cricketer to play 200 ODIs and is the highest run-scorer in ODIs with 6622 runs at an average of 51.33, including seven hundreds and 52 fifties followed by Charlotte Edwards with 5,992.



114* Having made her debut against Ireland in 1999, Mithali has looked on a career of approximately 20 years. She made a debut at the mere age of 16 years and 205 days. Opening the innings vs Ireland, she scored an unbeaten century which marked her as the youngest female cricketer to make a century.



19 years 219 days and counting is the longevity of Mithali Raj’s career span. It is the fourth-highest including men cricketers. Only Sachin Tendulkar (22 years 36 days), Sanath Jayasuriya (21 years 266 days) and Javid Miandad (20 years 265 days) have careers spanning longer than the current India ODI Skipper. Interestingly, Indian women have played a total of 263 ODIs in their history and Mithali has been a part of 200 of them. Also, since she has been appointed a captain, the team has played 213 matches in the format. She has been a part of all, missing just 13 of them.



111.29 successful chasing average of Mithali Raj highest among both men and women cricketers. During the 2nd ODI, Mithali’s unbeaten knock of 63 off 111 balls took her average in successful run-chases up in ODI. She recently overtook MS Dhoni (103.07) and Virat Kolhi (96.23).



123 The number of times Mithali Raj captained India followed by former English captain Charlotte Edwards with 117. Just before the World Cup of 2005, India captain Mamatha Maben was injured mid-way through a seven-match series when Australia took a 4-1 lead. Mithali, the team’s vice-captain, was handed the reins and has captained ever since.



51.33 The average of Mithali Raj. She has the highest batting average among players with 100-plus standings; second highest amongst players with 50-plus standings, behind only Australian captain Meg Lanning.



Also, apart from the longevity of her career, she has created fans of her own in this cricket loving country and around the globe. She is also currently recognized as one of the best in One-day format. India plays New Zealand in the first Twenty20 on Wednesday (February 06).
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