Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Mithali Raj proves she is queen of women’s cricket' that was published in Newsband

Mithali Raj proves she is queen of women’s cricket

Mithali Dorai Raj, captain of the Indian Women's cricket team in Tests and ODI, is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in ODIs. She is the first player to score 7 consecutive 50s in ODIs.

Mithali Raj recently created a new world record by becoming the first woman to score 6,000 ODI runs. She has thus established her queendom in international cricket. It’s the transition from Bharatnatyam to cricket, which makes her story interesting.

It’s a great achievement. She achieved this milestone because of her hard work and dedication. She has become a role model, not only in the country but in the world.

She made several sacrifices, cutting down on attending social events, for the sake of her career. At 19, she emerged as one of India’s best batswomen with a staggering 214 against England at Taunton. In 1999, she became the youngest ever ODI centurion when she scored 114 in her debut match against Ireland at Milton Keynes.

Raj has been ruling the roost for long. Her unprecedented performance at the ICC Women's World Cup 2017 did not go unnoticed. She surpassed former England captain Charlotte Edwards record to become the highest run-scorer in the One-Day Internationals (ODI) format.

When you have a cricketer Mithali Raj as example, why shouldn’t India nurture sportswomen? Her career so far would seem like a sprint from one milestone to another.  In fact, when India have won chasing, her average has been close to a mind-blowing 110. India must nurture women’s sports if it is to field more Rajs, Goswamis and Rauts along with more Mirzas, Karmakars and Phogats.

Mithali is nicknamed as the "Tendulkar of Indian women's cricket", as she is currently the all-time leading run-scorer for India in all formats, including Tests, ODIs and T20Is. During the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup, Raj scored her seventh consecutive half-century and made a record for most consecutive fifties by a player.

Mithali deservedly won, in 2003, the Arjuna Award, by the Government of India in recognition of her achievement in sports, and in 2015, Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award.