Mithali Raj
Encyclopedia
Mithali Raj is a Test
and One Day International cricketer who represents India women's cricket team. She was the captain
of the Indian women's cricket team
. She made her One Day International debut in 1999 against Ireland
at Milton Keynes
and scored 114 runs without getting out in that match. She made her Test match debut in the 2001-02 season against England
at Lucknow
. She became famous for her score of 214 runs in a Test match against England at Taunton
, which broke the record for the highest score in women's Test cricket, until she was surpassed by Kiran Baluch
of Pakistan
in 2004. Incidentally in that match, India also made their highest test score of 467 runs. She led the Indian team to the finals in the Women's Cricket World Cup
of 2005 where the team lost to Australia
. She is a part-time leg break bowler as well. She is a recipient of the Arjuna award
for the year 2003.
As at 22 Feb 2010, Mithali Raj was the number 1 batsman in the ICC World Women's Cricket rankings.
As a child, she was trained in Bharata Natyam, an Indian classical dance and gave stage performances. She is employed with the Indian Railways
.
, Rajasthan
. Her father Dorai Raj was an officer in the Indian Air Force
and her mother, Leela Raj, turned homemaker to support Mithali's athletic interests.
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
and One Day International cricketer who represents India women's cricket team. She was the captain
Captain (cricket)
The captain of a cricket team often referred to as the skipper is the appointed leader, having several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of a regular player...
of the Indian women's cricket team
Indian women's cricket team
The Indian women's cricket team played their first Test match in 1976/1977, when they drew with the West Indies in a six-match series. They performed better than expected in the last Women's Cricket World Cup, reaching the finals but then losing to Australia. In 2005 they won their second Women's...
. She made her One Day International debut in 1999 against Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
at Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
and scored 114 runs without getting out in that match. She made her Test match debut in the 2001-02 season against England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at Lucknow
Lucknow
Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division....
. She became famous for her score of 214 runs in a Test match against England at Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, which broke the record for the highest score in women's Test cricket, until she was surpassed by Kiran Baluch
Kiran Baluch
Kiran Maqsood Baluch is a female Pakistani cricketer.-References:...
of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 2004. Incidentally in that match, India also made their highest test score of 467 runs. She led the Indian team to the finals in the Women's Cricket World Cup
Women's Cricket World Cup
The ICC Women's Cricket World Cup is a Women's one-day international cricket competition. The first tournament was held in England in 1973, two years before the first men's ICC Cricket World Cup....
of 2005 where the team lost to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. She is a part-time leg break bowler as well. She is a recipient of the Arjuna award
Arjuna award
The Arjuna Awards were instituted in 1961 by the government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in National sports. The award carries a cash prize of 500,000, a bronze statuette of Arjuna and a scroll....
for the year 2003.
As at 22 Feb 2010, Mithali Raj was the number 1 batsman in the ICC World Women's Cricket rankings.
As a child, she was trained in Bharata Natyam, an Indian classical dance and gave stage performances. She is employed with the Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
.
Early life
Mithali Raj was born on December 3, 1982 in JodhpurJodhpur
Jodhpur , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located west from the state capital, Jaipur and from the city of Ajmer. It was formerly the seat of a princely state of the same name, the capital of the kingdom known as Marwar...
, Rajasthan
Rajasthan
Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...
. Her father Dorai Raj was an officer in the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
and her mother, Leela Raj, turned homemaker to support Mithali's athletic interests.