Mithali Dorai Raj is an Indian cricketer and the former captain of the Indian Women’s National Cricket Team in Test and ODIs.
She is often regarded as one of the greatest Batswomen to have ever played the game.
She is the highest run-scorer In Women’s International Cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6000 run mark WODIs.
Mithali is the first player who scores seven consecutive 50s in ODIs.
Mithali also holds the record for most half centuries in WODIs.
In June 2018 during the 2018 Women’s Twenty20 Asia Cup, she became first player from India (either male or female) to score 2000 runs in T20Is and the first cricketer to reach 2002 WT20Is runs.
She is the only player male or female to have captained India in more than one ICC ODI World Cup Final, i.e. in 2005 and 2017.
On first February 2019, during India’s series against New Zealand Women, Mithali became the first woman to play in 200 ODI matches.
She has become the first woman to complete 20 years in International Cricket. (Source Wikipedia).
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Mithali Dorai Raj | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 3 December 1982 (age 36)[1] Jodhpur, India |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm leg break | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Batswoman | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| International information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 55) | 14 January 2002 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 16 November 2014 v South Africa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 60) | 26 June 1999 v Ireland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 6 November 2019 v West Indies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 9) | 5 August 2006 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 9 March 2019 v England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2006–present | Railways | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: ESPNcricinfo, 6 November 2019 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MITHALI DORAI RAJ QUOTES :
01. Test Matches are the ultimate test for cricketers, whether it is your temperament, skill or endurance. However, women’s cricket needs promotion and so far it has been done mainly through T20s and ODIs by the respective Cricket Boards….MITHALI RAJ.
02. I just know I have a lot of time to read in the (dressing) room….Mithali Raj on not having to captain India’s T20 side. ….MITHALI RAJ.
03. India is ranked higher but we will not show any complacency, because any team can upset any other team on its day. …MITHALI RAJ.
04. We have Women Umpires in India, but if there are male umpires employed we don’t have any problem if we are getting fair decisions. …MITHALI RAJ.
05. I will never forget what happened on 21st July 2017. It is these kinds of small joys that provide me with the most happiness in life. …MITHALI RAJ.
06. At every stage, the meaning of wearing India’s jersey changes. When you are the senior player, you have everyone on your shoulders and you can’t let them down. When you are debutant, you are playing…MITHALI RAJ.
07. It is always a huge honour, to be referred to as lady Sachin Tendulkar, but do not get me wrong, my point is, why must we compare men’s and women’s games at all. …MITHALI RAJ.
AWARDS AND HONOURS:
| AWARDS | YEAR | NOTES |
| Arjuna Award | 2003 | In recognition of outstanding achievement in sports. |
| Padma Shri | 2015 | India’s fourth highest civilian award. |
| Youth Sports Icon of Excellence Award | 2017 | At the Radiant Wellness Conclave, Chennai. |
| Vogue Sports Person of the year | 2017 | At Vogue’s 10th Anniversary. |
| BBC 100 Women List | 2017 | It is a big recognition. |
BIOPIC ON MITHALI RAJ:
(Taapsee Pannu will play the role of Mithali Raj)
After the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup, Viacom 18 Motion Pictures acquired the rights to make a feature film of Mithali Raj’s life. She said “hoping that this movie inspires more people, especially young girls who take up sports as a career.” (The Indian Express, 26th September 2017).
The biopic is on planning and the shoot is scheduled to start in 2019. Mithali Raj said “I think Priyanka Chopra will be a great choice (to play me in the biopic). Our personalities match a lot. I am not a movie buff, so I’d love the experts to do their job (Times of India, retrieved 12th July 2018).
Recently on 3rd December 2019 on the Birthday of Mithali Raj the news has come that Taapsee Pannu will play Mithali Raj in biopic “Shabaash Mithu”. This film is backed by Viacom 18 Studios and directed by “Raees” helmer Rahul Dholakia. Source : IANS, 9th December 2019.
Now we have the information that the shooting for Mithali Raj Biopic to start in mid 2020. As mentioned earlier the lead role will be played by Taapsee Pannu. Taapsee says, “It is going to be difficult, I know. I watch cricket a lot but I never played the game. So, it is going to be challenging for me. Mithali (Raj) has already told me that “I’d like to see how you play the cover drive! So, I dream of cover drives now”, Taapsee laughed.