<p>Indian Women's ODI skipper Mithali Raj became the first female cricketer in history to score 7,000 ODI runs. She achieved this feat on Sunday in the fourth ODI against South Africa Women in Lucknow.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;</strong><a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ashtonished-sanjay-bangar-lauds-rishabh-pants-reverse-flick-that-went-for-6-370325" hreflang="en">'Ashtonished': Sanjay Bangar lauds Rishabh Pant's reverse-flick that went for 6</a></p>

<p>Mithali missed out on her fifty after she was dismissed by Tumi Sekhukhune for 45 in 71 balls. She struck four fours in her innings.</p>

<p>Team India were off to a steady start with an opener despite Smriti Mandhana's fall for 10, with Priya Puia scoring 32 runs, and Punam Raut getting a half-century.</p>

<p>Recently, Mithali Raj became the first India woman cricketer and only the second overall to score 10000 international runs.</p>

<p>The Indian skipper is also the second cricketer after Charlotte Edwards in terms of the overall leading run-scorer in women's international cricketer. Edwards scored 10207 runs from 309 matches with 67 half-centuries and 13 hundreds. Mithali currently has 75 fifties and eight centuries and is set to overtake former England star in the near future.</p>


Indian Women's ODI skipper Mithali Raj became the first female cricketer in history to score 7,000 ODI runs. She achieved this feat on Sunday in the fourth ODI against South Africa Women in Lucknow.

Indian Women's ODI skipper Mithali Raj became the first female cricketer in history to score 7,000 ODI runs. She achieved this feat on Sunday in the fourth ODI against South Africa Women in Lucknow. ALSO READ: 'Ashtonished': Sanjay Bangar lauds Rishabh Pant's reverse-flick that went for 6 Mithali missed out on her fifty after she was dismissed by Tumi Sekhukhune for 45 in 71 balls. She struck four fours in her innings. Team India were off to a steady start with an opener despite Smriti Mandhana's fall for 10, with Priya Puia scoring 32 runs, and Punam Raut getting a half-century. Recently, Mithali Raj became the first India woman cricketer and only the second overall to score 10000 international runs. The Indian skipper is also the second cricketer after Charlotte Edwards in terms of the overall leading run-scorer in women's international cricketer. Edwards scored 10207 runs from 309 matches with 67 half-centuries and 13 hundreds. Mithali currently has 75 fifties and eight centuries and is set to overtake former England star in the near future.

Mithali Raj becomes first player in women's cricket to score 7000 ODI runs

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{02735b40-effe-4d86-ab6b-4214491e5eb8}{165}" paraid="158170801" >Indian ODI captain Mithali Raj on Friday became the first Indian woman to complete 10,000 runs in international cricket. The iconic batswoman achieved the feat in the third ODI against South Africa at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{aabf90da-0bb5-4e8b-9e89-c9b23aa79820}{213}" paraid="1755989430" >Mithali, who was playing her 212th WODI for India, scored 36 runs while touching the landmark of scoring a whopping 10,000 runs in international cricket across formats. With the milestone, Mithali became the second woman to reach 10,000 runs after&nbsp;former England captain Charlotte Edwards. The former England skipper remains the leading run-scorer&nbsp;in international cricket with 10,273 runs while Mithali is second on the list with 10,001 runs. Suzie Bates is far-third with 7,849 runs.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<h2 aria-level="4" lang="EN-US" paraeid="{fd105356-b9b0-49cc-85a6-7f740d879956}{173}" paraid="274035571" role="heading" >Most international runs in women's cricket</h2>

<table border="0" data-tablelook="1696" data-tablestyle="MsoTableGrid">
	<tbody>
		<tr role="row">
			<td data-celllook="69905" role="rowheader">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{44}" paraid="916050620" >Player&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="69905" role="columnheader">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{55}" paraid="1298462754" >Matches&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="69905" role="columnheader">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{66}" paraid="970979120" >Runs&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="69905" role="columnheader">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{77}" paraid="1134189551" >50s/100s&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr role="row">
			<td data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{88}" paraid="1658117520" >Charlotte Edwards&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{99}" paraid="324519197" >309&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{110}" paraid="652958675" >10273&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{121}" paraid="105899195" >67/13&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr role="row">
			<td data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{132}" paraid="1356634457" ><strong>Mithali Raj&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{143}" paraid="996172881" ><strong>311&nbsp;</strong></p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{154}" paraid="957540138" ><strong>10001&nbsp;</strong></p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{165}" paraid="1040093134" ><strong>75/8&nbsp;</strong></p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr role="row">
			<td data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{176}" paraid="805355290" >Suzie Bates&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{187}" paraid="440837905" >247&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{198}" paraid="1270525951" >7849&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{209}" paraid="734855006" >48/11&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr role="row">
			<td data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{220}" paraid="989376338" >Stafanie Taylor&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{231}" paraid="1994626690" >234&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{242}" paraid="544030927" >7816&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{a09e9e9e-433b-425a-a9b7-6a19334fa6fa}{253}" paraid="68981078" >57/5&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr role="row">
			<td data-celllook="4369" role="rowheader">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{e4784ec1-a4b9-439b-9523-7af62ad75fa9}{9}" paraid="789802665" >Meg Lanning&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{e4784ec1-a4b9-439b-9523-7af62ad75fa9}{20}" paraid="981522951" >194&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{e4784ec1-a4b9-439b-9523-7af62ad75fa9}{31}" paraid="2105888713" >6900&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
			<td data-celllook="4369">
			<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{e4784ec1-a4b9-439b-9523-7af62ad75fa9}{42}" paraid="1385052917" >29/16&nbsp;</p>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/smriti-mandhana-becomes-first-ever-player-to-score-50-in-10-consecutive-odi-chases-369124" hreflang="en">Smriti Mandhana becomes first-ever player to score 50+ in 10 consecutive ODI chases</a></strong></p>

<p>Before the third ODI against South Africa, Mithali was 35 runs short of the milestone and was dismissed soon after getting to the feat. In 10 Tests, Mithali has scored 663 runs in 10 Tests while accumulating&nbsp;2,364 runs in 89 T20Is. The veteran Indian batswoman remains the leading scorer in WODI cricket with as many as 6,974 runs in her kitty.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{133e734f-4452-463c-8d8e-a0038d88970e}{185}" paraid="1385265770" >Prior to the third ODI, Smriti&nbsp;Mandhana&nbsp;had said: "Getting to 10,000 runs first or second is a huge thing. She is the first Indian to do that so I think it is something that shows how consistent she has been throughout her career. We have looked up to her, definitely a very proud feeling for all of us in the team."&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{133e734f-4452-463c-8d8e-a0038d88970e}{185}" paraid="1385265770" ><strong>ALSO:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/watch-jhulan-goswamis-spirit-of-cricket-moment-with-south-africas-nadine-de-klerk-369110" hreflang="en">WATCH: Jhulan Goswami's 'Spirit of Cricket' moment with South Africa's Nadine de Klerk</a></strong></p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{02735b40-effe-4d86-ab6b-4214491e5eb8}{121}" paraid="738692707" >Wishes and tributes poured in for Mithali on social media platforms just after she reached the milestone. From the likes of&nbsp;Sachin&nbsp;Tendulkar to Wasim Jaffer, Mithali’s&nbsp;achievement&nbsp;was lauded by many.&nbsp;</p>

<p lang="EN-US" paraeid="{02735b40-effe-4d86-ab6b-4214491e5eb8}{121}" paraid="738692707" >"Heartiest congratulations Mithali on completing 10,000 runs in International Cricket. Terrific achievement... Keep going strong!" Tendulkar tweeted. Former India opener Wasim Jaffer also joined Tendulkar to wish Mithali on her achievement.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Heartiest congratulations Mithali on completing 1️⃣0️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ runs in International Cricket.<br />
<br />
Terrific achievement... 👏🏻<br />
Keep going strong! 💪🏻 <a href="https://t.co/1D2ybiVaUt">pic.twitter.com/1D2ybiVaUt</a></p>
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) <a href="https://twitter.com/sachin_rt/status/1370262251454742529?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>Taking to Twitter, Jaffer wrote, "Many congratulations on reaching 10,000 international runs @M_Raj03. Terrific achievement, a testament to your fitness, skill and dedication towards the game."</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Many congratulations on reaching 10,000 international runs <a href="https://twitter.com/M_Raj03?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@M_Raj03</a> Terrific achievement, a testament to your fitness, skill and dedication towards the game🙌 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/EnWgF5HniM">pic.twitter.com/EnWgF5HniM</a></p>
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) <a href="https://twitter.com/WasimJaffer14/status/1370250686881951746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<h2>Here's how others wished Mithali Raj after she completed 10,000 international runs:</h2>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It has been a long journey this for Mithali. Enroute a few milestones have been reached and crossed. Congrats <a href="https://twitter.com/M_Raj03?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@M_Raj03</a> for yet another accomplishment. 10,000 international runs and counting... <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCIWomen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCCIWomen</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCI?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCCI</a> <a href="https://t.co/BpMoem9rUF">pic.twitter.com/BpMoem9rUF</a></p>
— Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) <a href="https://twitter.com/chopraanjum/status/1370254226052411392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are glad we live in an era that has witnessed Mithali Raj truly rule the 🏏 world! 😍<br />
<br />
Here's to the first Indian woman, and second in the world, to score 10,000 international runs! 👏👏👏<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MithaliRaj?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MithaliRaj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDWvSAW?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDWvSAW</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IndiaTaiyarHai?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IndiaTaiyarHai</a> <a href="https://t.co/ilPDsjVxG8">pic.twitter.com/ilPDsjVxG8</a></p>
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarSportsIndia/status/1370286368451039232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Congratulations, Mithali Raj 👏<br />
<br />
A modern-day legend. <a href="https://t.co/XyI89zWL47">pic.twitter.com/XyI89zWL47</a></p>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1370274150997053441?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Modern-day Woman Thala <a href="https://t.co/HTuh3HQ7Id">https://t.co/HTuh3HQ7Id</a></p>
— S &amp; S (@FakeBcciWarrior) <a href="https://twitter.com/FakeBcciWarrior/status/1370287961879670785?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The STAR of INDIAN CRICKET.<br />
<br />
ABSOLUTE LEGEND <a href="https://twitter.com/M_Raj03?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@M_Raj03</a> mam<br />
What an inspiration. <a href="https://t.co/qJqO0QHCfs">https://t.co/qJqO0QHCfs</a></p>
— Avinash 🇮🇳 (@awakenedavi) <a href="https://twitter.com/awakenedavi/status/1370286671640494081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">An icon of the game.<br />
Just the second batswoman, and the first 🇮🇳 batswoman to cross the 10k run mark in the history of the game.<br />
Kudos to <a href="https://twitter.com/M_Raj03?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@M_Raj03</a> on this great achievement.👏<br />
Wishing her even more success in the future.👍<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MithaliRaj?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MithaliRaj</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvSA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvSA</a> <a href="https://t.co/kq9iHsjLQa">https://t.co/kq9iHsjLQa</a></p>
— Tejas (@jha_tejas26) <a href="https://twitter.com/jha_tejas26/status/1370281649724780548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Inspired the all girl ma'am. Congratulations 👏💐 <a href="https://t.co/eysXSsbmRK">https://t.co/eysXSsbmRK</a></p>
— Amit Anand (@Amitbunty1998) <a href="https://twitter.com/Amitbunty1998/status/1370279161281966081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mithali Raj made her debut In 1999, 4 different decades in highest level and completed 10,000 runs in 2021 - Captain, leader, Legend, Mithali. What a absolute champion in Women's cricket. <a href="https://t.co/or3qP7Rcb3">pic.twitter.com/or3qP7Rcb3</a></p>
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) <a href="https://twitter.com/CricCrazyJohns/status/1370246236779900934?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Indian ODI captain Mithali Raj on Friday became the first Indian woman to complete 10,000 runs in international cricket. The iconic batswoman achieved the feat in the third ODI against South Africa at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday.

Indian ODI captain Mithali Raj on Friday became the first Indian woman to complete 10,000 runs in international cricket. The iconic batswoman achieved the feat in the third ODI against South Africa at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday. Mithali, who was playing her 212th WODI for India, scored 36 runs while touching the landmark of scoring a whopping 10,000 runs in international cricket across formats. With the milestone, Mithali became the second woman to reach 10,000 runs after former England captain Charlotte Edwards. The former England skipper remains the leading run-scorer in international cricket with 10,273 runs while Mithali is second on the list with 10,001 runs. Suzie Bates is far-third with 7,849 runs. Most international runs in women's cricket Player Matches Runs 50s/100s Charlotte Edwards 309 10273 67/13 Mithali Raj 311 10001 75/8 Suzie Bates 247 7849 48/11 Stafanie Taylor 234 7816 57/5 Meg Lanning 194 6900 29/16 ALSO READ: Smriti Mandhana becomes first-ever player to score 50+ in 10 consecutive ODI chases Before the third ODI against South Africa, Mithali was 35 runs short of the milestone and was dismissed soon after getting to the feat. In 10 Tests, Mithali has scored 663 runs in 10 Tests while accumulating 2,364 runs in 89 T20Is. The veteran Indian batswoman remains the leading scorer in WODI cricket with as many as 6,974 runs in her kitty. Prior to the third ODI, Smriti Mandhana had said: "Getting to 10,000 runs first or second is a huge thing. She is the first Indian to do that so I think it is something that shows how consistent she has been throughout her career. We have looked up to her, definitely a very proud feeling for all of us in the team." ALSO: WATCH: Jhulan Goswami's 'Spirit of Cricket' moment with South Africa's Nadine de Klerk Wishes and tributes poured in for Mithali on social media platforms just after she reached the milestone. From the likes of Sachin Tendulkar to Wasim Jaffer, Mithali’s achievement was lauded by many. "Heartiest congratulations Mithali on completing 10,000 runs in International Cricket. Terrific achievement... Keep going strong!" Tendulkar tweeted. Former India opener Wasim Jaffer also joined Tendulkar to wish Mithali on her achievement. Heartiest congratulations Mithali on completing 1️⃣0️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ runs in International Cricket. Terrific achievement... 👏🏻 Keep going strong! 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/1D2ybiVaUt — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) March 12, 2021 × Taking to Twitter, Jaffer wrote, "Many congratulations on reaching 10,000 international runs @M_Raj03. Terrific achievement, a testament to your fitness, skill and dedication towards the game." Many congratulations on reaching 10,000 international runs @M_Raj03 Terrific achievement, a testament to your fitness, skill and dedication towards the game🙌 #INDvSA pic.twitter.com/EnWgF5HniM — Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14) March 12, 2021 × Here's how others wished Mithali Raj after she completed 10,000 international runs: It has been a long journey this for Mithali. Enroute a few milestones have been reached and crossed. Congrats @M_Raj03 for yet another accomplishment. 10,000 international runs and counting... @BCCIWomen @BCCI pic.twitter.com/BpMoem9rUF — Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) March 12, 2021 × We are glad we live in an era that has witnessed Mithali Raj truly rule the 🏏 world! 😍 Here's to the first Indian woman, and second in the world, to score 10,000 international runs! 👏👏👏#MithaliRaj #INDWvSAW #IndiaTaiyarHai pic.twitter.com/ilPDsjVxG8 — Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) March 12, 2021 × Congratulations, Mithali Raj 👏 A modern-day legend. pic.twitter.com/XyI89zWL47 — ICC (@ICC) March 12, 2021 × Modern-day Woman Thala https://t.co/HTuh3HQ7Id — S & S (@FakeBcciWarrior) March 12, 2021 × The STAR of INDIAN CRICKET. ABSOLUTE LEGEND @M_Raj03 mam What an inspiration. https://t.co/qJqO0QHCfs — Avinash 🇮🇳 (@awakenedavi) March 12, 2021 × An icon of the game. Just the second batswoman, and the first 🇮🇳 batswoman to cross the 10k run mark in the history of the game. Kudos to @M_Raj03 on this great achievement.👏 Wishing her even more success in the future.👍#MithaliRaj #INDvSA https://t.co/kq9iHsjLQa — Tejas (@jha_tejas26) March 12, 2021 × Inspired the all girl ma'am. Congratulations 👏💐 https://t.co/eysXSsbmRK — Amit Anand (@Amitbunty1998) March 12, 2021 × Mithali Raj made her debut In 1999, 4 different decades in highest level and completed 10,000 runs in 2021 - Captain, leader, Legend, Mithali. What a absolute champion in Women's cricket. pic.twitter.com/or3qP7Rcb3 — Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 12, 2021 ×

Mithali Raj becomes first Indian woman to score 10,000 international runs

<p>With the Women’s T20 Challenge kick-starting on Wednesday, Supernovas and Velocity will lock horns at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Supernovas, the winners of last two editions of the tournament, have some big names in their squad with the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Chamari Athapaththu, Poonam Yadav among others expected to light up the four-match tournament.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Whereas Velocity have exciting names in Shafali Varma, Mithali Raj, Danielle Wyatt, Veda Krishnamurthy, Sune Luus, Jahanara Alam among others and are touted as one of the teams to watch out for in the tournament.</p>

<p>Supernovas are being looked as big favourites to win the competition given their splendid record in the past. However, things can quickly change as both the teams have some world-class names and exciting youth talent in their ranks. The likes of Ayushi Soni have already received big praise from Harmanpreet in the build-up to the tournament opener and all eyes will be on the youngster if she takes to the field on Wednesday.</p>

<p><strong>ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/ipl-2020-playoffs-qualifier-1-eliminator-schedule-dates-venues-and-more-340451" hreflang="en">IPL 2020 Playoffs: Qualifier 1, Eliminator - Schedule, dates, venues and more</a></strong></p>

<p>With a great blend of domestic talents and experienced overseas players, the Women’s T20 Challenge comes as a breather in the world of women’s cricket. Even though the Women’s Big Bash League is up and running in Australia, the Women’s T20 Challenge will allow the Indian talents to make a name for themselves again.</p>

<h2>Supernovas vs Velocity, Women's T20 Challenge: Squads</h2>

<p><strong>Supernovas Squad: </strong>Priya Punia, Chamari Athapaththu, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Shashikala Siriwardene, Taniya Bhatia(w), Anuja Patil, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Shakera Selman, Pooja Vastrakar, Ayabonga Khaka, Muskan Malik, Ayushi soni</p>

<p><strong>Velocity Squad:</strong> Shafali Verma, Danielle Wyatt, Mithali Raj(c), Veda Krishnamurthy, Sushma Verma(w), Sune Luus, Shikha Pandey, Leigh Kasperek, Jahanara Alam, Manali Dakshini, Ekta Bisht, Devika Vaidya, Sushree Dibyadarshini, Meghna Singh, Anagha Murali</p>


With the Women’s T20 Challenge kick-starting on Wednesday, Supernovas and Velocity will lock horns at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Supernovas, the winners of last two editions of the tournament, have some big names in their squad with the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Chamari Athapaththu, Poonam Yadav among others expected to light up the four-match tournament.

With the Women’s T20 Challenge kick-starting on Wednesday, Supernovas and Velocity will lock horns at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Supernovas, the winners of last two editions of the tournament, have some big names in their squad with the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Jemimah Rodrigues, Chamari Athapaththu, Poonam Yadav among others expected to light up the four-match tournament. Whereas Velocity have exciting names in Shafali Varma, Mithali Raj, Danielle Wyatt, Veda Krishnamurthy, Sune Luus, Jahanara Alam among others and are touted as one of the teams to watch out for in the tournament. Supernovas are being looked as big favourites to win the competition given their splendid record in the past. However, things can quickly change as both the teams have some world-class names and exciting youth talent in their ranks. The likes of Ayushi Soni have already received big praise from Harmanpreet in the build-up to the tournament opener and all eyes will be on the youngster if she takes to the field on Wednesday. ALSO READ: IPL 2020 Playoffs: Qualifier 1, Eliminator - Schedule, dates, venues and more With a great blend of domestic talents and experienced overseas players, the Women’s T20 Challenge comes as a breather in the world of women’s cricket. Even though the Women’s Big Bash League is up and running in Australia, the Women’s T20 Challenge will allow the Indian talents to make a name for themselves again. Supernovas vs Velocity, Women's T20 Challenge: Squads Supernovas Squad: Priya Punia, Chamari Athapaththu, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur(c), Shashikala Siriwardene, Taniya Bhatia(w), Anuja Patil, Radha Yadav, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Shakera Selman, Pooja Vastrakar, Ayabonga Khaka, Muskan Malik, Ayushi soni Velocity Squad: Shafali Verma, Danielle Wyatt, Mithali Raj(c), Veda Krishnamurthy, Sushma Verma(w), Sune Luus, Shikha Pandey, Leigh Kasperek, Jahanara Alam, Manali Dakshini, Ekta Bisht, Devika Vaidya, Sushree Dibyadarshini, Meghna Singh, Anagha Murali

WT20 Challenge, Supernovas vs Velocity Preview: Feisty contest expected in Sharjah

Women's T20 Challenge: From Smriti Mandhana to Mithali Raj, players arrive at UAE in full PPE kits

<p>The captain of Indian women's cricket team in WODI's Mithali Raj, in an exclusive interview with WION's Sports Editor, Digvijay Singh Deo, opened up on life under lockdown, cricket post-COVID-19, challenges of training indoors, the growth of women's cricket, India's chances in 2021 Women's World Cup, the emergence of young talents in the women's team and much more.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: Good to have you on our lockdown series Mithali, how have you been holding up?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: Initially it was tough to adjust to the new circumstances. As athletes, we are used to being outdoors, so it is difficult to be confined to these four walls. For all athletes, it is a challenge to deal with such a shift from their daily routines and that has a mental effect on the person as well.<br />
But as athletes, we are also trained to adapt to the conditions, so that's what I tried to do after the initial few days of the lockdown. I have tried to follow some sort of a schedule during this period.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: I did scroll through your Twitter feed and clearly fitness and fitness tips have been top of the agenda through the last month and a half…</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: As international athletes, we have maintained a certain fitness level throughout our careers. However, we do not have access to the resources we have been training with, whether it be the gym or training ground. It is a challenge to train during this lockdown, but one has to try to do the best with the resources available. Some people might have access to a running track inside their society or some fitness equipment at home. But others like myself do not have those resources, so we are compelled to find creative ways to use our spaces inside our homes to maintain our physical fitness. I have been in constant touch with my trainer. It is natural that there will be some drop in our fitness levels during the lockdown, but we have to ensure that we maintain a basic level of training, so that once normalcy resumes we don't have to start from scratch.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: Over the course of this series I have been speaking to some of India's top sportspersons and every sport has a different fitness routine….as a cricketer, how do you compensate for the lack of outdoor activity?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: Initially I did some shadow and drop ball drills that I used to do when I had just started playing the game. But that becomes monotonous after a few days. So now I practice some shots with a tennis ball with the help of the kids in apartments. That way the children also have some activity and I'm in some way working on my skills.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: Can you tell us a little about the way you have been contributing to those who are struggling during this crisis?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: Yes I have tried to help out some migrant workers who are stranded here in Hyderabad. Most of them do not have access to essential services during the lockdown. I have also reached out to some university students who are stuck here because they too some times struggle for their day to day needs. I realise that I am in a privileged financial position and also fortunate that I can be with my family during this crisis. Everyone wants to be around their loved ones during this time and some aren't fortunate enough to be able to do that. I have some friends who are involved in various charitable activities and sometimes I just tag along with them to make myself aware of the reality around me. We become so engrossed in the rat race of our lives that we fail to realise how fortunate we are as people. When I see these people who are struggling, I realise what is really important in life. Sport is a huge part of my life and I am very grateful for the career it has given me, but it is not important than life itself.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>:&nbsp;One recurring theme through these conversations Mithali has been perspective. We are currently locked indoors by an invisible enemy. What are the lessons humanity has to take from this period?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: I think this crisis is a great equaliser. The coronavirus doesn't see religion, caste or financial status. Everyone is equally susceptible to the disease. The government is trying very hard to encourage everyone to contribute towards the coronavirus funds. Everything else takes a back seat, once you see there are people struggling for access to the basic necessities of life.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: As things stand international travel seems to be a big no-no at least till the end of September-October. For someone like you, that means it could be close to a year with no international action. Sunil Chhetri told me that every month that you don’t play makes it even more difficult if you are over 35. How challenging will it be for you to stay sharp?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: The last One Day International I played was in November last year. After that, the team was preparing for the t20 world cup, so there wasn't any ODI series. Assuming things improve in the next few months, we will return to action in September or October. That means I would have been out of international action for about a year. I try to look at this break as a positive one for me to work on my fitness.despite the fact that I am stuck indoors, it does give me an opportunity to prepare physically and mentally for the next tournament, whenever it may come. I'm using this time to work on my fundamentals, be it for my fitness or cricket. There are so many aspects of your game that I don't get time to work on, because of the hectic schedule. So I am working on improving some of my weaknesses and hopefully this will bear some fruit when I am back in action.</p>

<p><img alt="Exclusive | Mithali Raj in conversation with WION" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="b6097207-ba8b-4eef-a185-5976d4de0649" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_1DQ38O.jpg" /></p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: The team will not get the opportunity to be together for a long time, how will this also affect the lead-up to the 2021 world cup?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: I think the future is very uncertain. It is difficult to say when we will be allowed to train outdoors, or when we will be allowed to travel for international matches. But when things do open up, we will get a better idea of the time frame we have for preparation. I'm sure every country will have a plan in mind for the World Cup, but that will only come to fruition once the lockdown ends. Being the captain of the team, my priority will be to get the girls together and create a positive environment for them which will fast-track the progress that is needed for us to get back on the field.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: That’s the last dance for you isn't it? You have come so near in the past, and as we speak, is that your biggest regret not being able to get over the line especially the last final?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: Yes, that is something that keeps me going. I thought the 2017 World Cup would be my last and I gave it my absolute all, but unfortunately, we fell at the final hurdle. The fact that we were so close to winning and then gave it away, does hurt a lot. We reached the final in 2005 as well but we were comprehensively beaten on that occasion. The final loss in 2017 has given me extra motivation to prepare for the 2021 World Cup and hopefully, we can go one step further this time.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: Just before the COVID-19 crashed our lives you were at the MCG for that T20 World Cup final. It Didn’t go our way but what a sight for the women’s game to have a packed house…</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: Yes, women's cricket has come a long way since I started playing back in 1999. I never thought I would see a packed house in a venue like the MCG for a women's cricket match. It was not just the fans inside the stadium, the final between India and Australia also attracted record viewership. Women's cricket is definitely growing across the world and we are on the right path. There are people who closely follow women's cricket and importantly there are people who see it as a viable source of income, in terms of marketing and investments.</p>

<p><img alt="Exclusive | Mithali Raj in conversation with WION" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0cb9b789-3f7c-4a59-9d14-e6496d1a905d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_12Y9AN.jpg" /></p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: Consistency though doesn’t always guarantee results, clearly the occasion got to the team in March and also in the World Cup final …how do you learn from these losses as a team?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: When a team loses by a small margin, it is never because of the ability of the players. Usually, the team that is able to handle the pressure and keep its nerves comes out on top. So there have been a few occasions when we have reached the final of a major tournament but not been able to cross the line. We certainly have to work on being able to handle the pressure of playing in a big game. I have also noticed that even in the bilateral series we have played in the last two years, we have won&nbsp;the opening couple of games but lost the final few matches. We need to maintain our levels throughout the series because, in major ICC&nbsp;tournaments, it is during the latter stages of the events that you need to step up your game. I don't think we are any less capable than any team in the world, it is just that we need to be more mentally focussed during high-pressure games and believe in our ability as players.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: Lots of talks right now that with boards across the world bleeding money the women’s game could be sacrificed. Does that frustrate you?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: I haven't heard of any such development, but if that does happen it would be very disappointing. Women's cricket has come a long way and this coronavirus shutdown should not break the momentum that has been built over the last few years. I am very optimistic that the 2021 ODI World Cup will take place in February and that might attract many new fans to the women's game. The event might happen at the perfect time when people are longing for some sporting action. So that tournament will hopefully widen the fan base of the game and also draw in some major revenue for the game of cricket.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: The International Olympic Committee has over the last few years batted for gender equality. The Tokyo games will see about 47 per cent female participation. Yet when it comes to pay there is no parity in professional sport. The US women's football team is having to go to court against USA soccer for equal pay. Why is this even a discussion?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: It's not just about equal pay, it is about what the boards or organisers are doing to promote women's sport. For the women's game to grow, it needs to be given the same platform as the men's game. A women's tournament needs to be marketed as well as any other event for it to become a revenue generator. These issues are sometimes ignored when we talk about equality in sport. If there is a game of football on TV and I have the option of watching a men's match or a women's match, I would probably tune in to the men's game. That might not be because the men's game is of higher quality, but because the game has been marketed better and the players I see are more recognisable. The perspective of the viewer has to change towards women's sport and that has to be addressed in a holistic manner. The problem is not limited to sporting authorities or organisations, our whole approach towards the sport has to change.</p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: You started your career at a time when not many, even the BCCI, frankly cared about the game. Things have changed now and with women’s cricket coming under the BCCI fold, lots of things have changed. The two World Cup final appearances have really helped the public image of women’s cricket as well, now you are also featuring in campaigns along with the men’s team...</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: I think it was a great moment when women's cricket in India came under the umbrella of the BCCI in 2006. Since then there have been a lot of positive changes for women's cricketers in India and the national team. When I started playing the game internationally in &nbsp;1999, we didn't even play in stadiums, we used to play in whatever local ground was available. But now things have changed substantially because of the BCCI, the national team plays in international stadiums all over the world. The BCCI has elevated the status of the women's game in the country. We are given access to excellent facilities and grounds, at par with the men's national team.</p>

<p>When I started playing with the national team, we barely had any support staff. There was just the coach and manager who travelled with the team. The recent T20 World Cup contingent was probably the largest in terms of the number of people in the support staff for the women's team, that just shows how far the game has come. This is a result of the steps taken by the board for the growth of the women's game. Initially, the board did struggle to come up with a structure for the game in India. However, there is a framework in place for the game now, with the emergence of the India U-19 and India 'A' teams. These teams will act as feeders to the national team and will make us an even stronger unit in the long term. Back in the late 90s, even if a couple of senior players retired, it would take a few years for the team to get the balance right again.</p>

<p><img alt="Exclusive | Mithali Raj in conversation with WION" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="cc7e0b02-aad4-4198-b64b-d2f244651f18" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/000_QY9VD.jpg" /></p>

<p><strong>DSD</strong>: You made your international debut&nbsp;in 1999…we have lots of young prodigies now breaking into the current team. What do you tell a young prodigy like Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues about adjusting to the 50 over format from T20?</p>

<p><strong>Mithali Raj</strong>: I think every generation has a different approach to new challenges. Every approach to the game has pros and cons, there is certainly a difference in the way the younger generation plays the game, but that is only natural and positive for the growth of the sport. As far as their progress is concerned, it is important for them to stay grounded and focus on what is important. There are a lot of distractions in the age of social media and it can be tough to deal with. You can become an overnight star, but also lose everything you've got in a matter of days. The youngsters need mentoring and guidance so that they have the right balance in their lives. Anything that is done in extreme has an adverse effect in the long term. Even passion has its limits, it can prove to be detrimental. It is also important for them to have fun, that is part of the learning process. But they should never forget that they are India cricketers and representing the country. At the end of the day, it is their job to play the game of cricket and that is what earns them their bread. They have to realise that they are role models to millions and the way they conduct themselves is what people will remember them for.<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The captain of Indian women's cricket team in WODI's Mithali Raj, in an exclusive interview with WION's Sports Editor, Digvijay Singh Deo, opened up on life under lockdown, cricket post-COVID-19, challenges of training indoors, the growth of women's cricket, India's chances in 2021 Women's World Cup, the emergence of young talents in the women's team and much more.

The captain of Indian women's cricket team in WODI's Mithali Raj, in an exclusive interview with WION's Sports Editor, Digvijay Singh Deo, opened up on life under lockdown, cricket post-COVID-19, challenges of training indoors, the growth of women's cricket, India's chances in 2021 Women's World Cup, the emergence of young talents in the women's team and much more. DSD: Good to have you on our lockdown series Mithali, how have you been holding up? Mithali Raj: Initially it was tough to adjust to the new circumstances. As athletes, we are used to being outdoors, so it is difficult to be confined to these four walls. For all athletes, it is a challenge to deal with such a shift from their daily routines and that has a mental effect on the person as well. But as athletes, we are also trained to adapt to the conditions, so that's what I tried to do after the initial few days of the lockdown. I have tried to follow some sort of a schedule during this period. DSD: I did scroll through your Twitter feed and clearly fitness and fitness tips have been top of the agenda through the last month and a half… Mithali Raj: As international athletes, we have maintained a certain fitness level throughout our careers. However, we do not have access to the resources we have been training with, whether it be the gym or training ground. It is a challenge to train during this lockdown, but one has to try to do the best with the resources available. Some people might have access to a running track inside their society or some fitness equipment at home. But others like myself do not have those resources, so we are compelled to find creative ways to use our spaces inside our homes to maintain our physical fitness. I have been in constant touch with my trainer. It is natural that there will be some drop in our fitness levels during the lockdown, but we have to ensure that we maintain a basic level of training, so that once normalcy resumes we don't have to start from scratch. DSD: Over the course of this series I have been speaking to some of India's top sportspersons and every sport has a different fitness routine….as a cricketer, how do you compensate for the lack of outdoor activity? Mithali Raj: Initially I did some shadow and drop ball drills that I used to do when I had just started playing the game. But that becomes monotonous after a few days. So now I practice some shots with a tennis ball with the help of the kids in apartments. That way the children also have some activity and I'm in some way working on my skills. DSD: Can you tell us a little about the way you have been contributing to those who are struggling during this crisis? Mithali Raj: Yes I have tried to help out some migrant workers who are stranded here in Hyderabad. Most of them do not have access to essential services during the lockdown. I have also reached out to some university students who are stuck here because they too some times struggle for their day to day needs. I realise that I am in a privileged financial position and also fortunate that I can be with my family during this crisis. Everyone wants to be around their loved ones during this time and some aren't fortunate enough to be able to do that. I have some friends who are involved in various charitable activities and sometimes I just tag along with them to make myself aware of the reality around me. We become so engrossed in the rat race of our lives that we fail to realise how fortunate we are as people. When I see these people who are struggling, I realise what is really important in life. Sport is a huge part of my life and I am very grateful for the career it has given me, but it is not important than life itself. DSD: One recurring theme through these conversations Mithali has been perspective. We are currently locked indoors by an invisible enemy. What are the lessons humanity has to take from this period? Mithali Raj: I think this crisis is a great equaliser. The coronavirus doesn't see religion, caste or financial status. Everyone is equally susceptible to the disease. The government is trying very hard to encourage everyone to contribute towards the coronavirus funds. Everything else takes a back seat, once you see there are people struggling for access to the basic necessities of life. DSD: As things stand international travel seems to be a big no-no at least till the end of September-October. For someone like you, that means it could be close to a year with no international action. Sunil Chhetri told me that every month that you don’t play makes it even more difficult if you are over 35. How challenging will it be for you to stay sharp? Mithali Raj: The last One Day International I played was in November last year. After that, the team was preparing for the t20 world cup, so there wasn't any ODI series. Assuming things improve in the next few months, we will return to action in September or October. That means I would have been out of international action for about a year. I try to look at this break as a positive one for me to work on my fitness.despite the fact that I am stuck indoors, it does give me an opportunity to prepare physically and mentally for the next tournament, whenever it may come. I'm using this time to work on my fundamentals, be it for my fitness or cricket. There are so many aspects of your game that I don't get time to work on, because of the hectic schedule. So I am working on improving some of my weaknesses and hopefully this will bear some fruit when I am back in action. DSD: The team will not get the opportunity to be together for a long time, how will this also affect the lead-up to the 2021 world cup? Mithali Raj: I think the future is very uncertain. It is difficult to say when we will be allowed to train outdoors, or when we will be allowed to travel for international matches. But when things do open up, we will get a better idea of the time frame we have for preparation. I'm sure every country will have a plan in mind for the World Cup, but that will only come to fruition once the lockdown ends. Being the captain of the team, my priority will be to get the girls together and create a positive environment for them which will fast-track the progress that is needed for us to get back on the field. DSD: That’s the last dance for you isn't it? You have come so near in the past, and as we speak, is that your biggest regret not being able to get over the line especially the last final? Mithali Raj: Yes, that is something that keeps me going. I thought the 2017 World Cup would be my last and I gave it my absolute all, but unfortunately, we fell at the final hurdle. The fact that we were so close to winning and then gave it away, does hurt a lot. We reached the final in 2005 as well but we were comprehensively beaten on that occasion. The final loss in 2017 has given me extra motivation to prepare for the 2021 World Cup and hopefully, we can go one step further this time. DSD: Just before the COVID-19 crashed our lives you were at the MCG for that T20 World Cup final. It Didn’t go our way but what a sight for the women’s game to have a packed house… Mithali Raj: Yes, women's cricket has come a long way since I started playing back in 1999. I never thought I would see a packed house in a venue like the MCG for a women's cricket match. It was not just the fans inside the stadium, the final between India and Australia also attracted record viewership. Women's cricket is definitely growing across the world and we are on the right path. There are people who closely follow women's cricket and importantly there are people who see it as a viable source of income, in terms of marketing and investments. DSD: Consistency though doesn’t always guarantee results, clearly the occasion got to the team in March and also in the World Cup final …how do you learn from these losses as a team? Mithali Raj: When a team loses by a small margin, it is never because of the ability of the players. Usually, the team that is able to handle the pressure and keep its nerves comes out on top. So there have been a few occasions when we have reached the final of a major tournament but not been able to cross the line. We certainly have to work on being able to handle the pressure of playing in a big game. I have also noticed that even in the bilateral series we have played in the last two years, we have won the opening couple of games but lost the final few matches. We need to maintain our levels throughout the series because, in major ICC tournaments, it is during the latter stages of the events that you need to step up your game. I don't think we are any less capable than any team in the world, it is just that we need to be more mentally focussed during high-pressure games and believe in our ability as players. DSD: Lots of talks right now that with boards across the world bleeding money the women’s game could be sacrificed. Does that frustrate you? Mithali Raj: I haven't heard of any such development, but if that does happen it would be very disappointing. Women's cricket has come a long way and this coronavirus shutdown should not break the momentum that has been built over the last few years. I am very optimistic that the 2021 ODI World Cup will take place in February and that might attract many new fans to the women's game. The event might happen at the perfect time when people are longing for some sporting action. So that tournament will hopefully widen the fan base of the game and also draw in some major revenue for the game of cricket. DSD: The International Olympic Committee has over the last few years batted for gender equality. The Tokyo games will see about 47 per cent female participation. Yet when it comes to pay there is no parity in professional sport. The US women's football team is having to go to court against USA soccer for equal pay. Why is this even a discussion? Mithali Raj: It's not just about equal pay, it is about what the boards or organisers are doing to promote women's sport. For the women's game to grow, it needs to be given the same platform as the men's game. A women's tournament needs to be marketed as well as any other event for it to become a revenue generator. These issues are sometimes ignored when we talk about equality in sport. If there is a game of football on TV and I have the option of watching a men's match or a women's match, I would probably tune in to the men's game. That might not be because the men's game is of higher quality, but because the game has been marketed better and the players I see are more recognisable. The perspective of the viewer has to change towards women's sport and that has to be addressed in a holistic manner. The problem is not limited to sporting authorities or organisations, our whole approach towards the sport has to change. DSD: You started your career at a time when not many, even the BCCI, frankly cared about the game. Things have changed now and with women’s cricket coming under the BCCI fold, lots of things have changed. The two World Cup final appearances have really helped the public image of women’s cricket as well, now you are also featuring in campaigns along with the men’s team... Mithali Raj: I think it was a great moment when women's cricket in India came under the umbrella of the BCCI in 2006. Since then there have been a lot of positive changes for women's cricketers in India and the national team. When I started playing the game internationally in 1999, we didn't even play in stadiums, we used to play in whatever local ground was available. But now things have changed substantially because of the BCCI, the national team plays in international stadiums all over the world. The BCCI has elevated the status of the women's game in the country. We are given access to excellent facilities and grounds, at par with the men's national team. When I started playing with the national team, we barely had any support staff. There was just the coach and manager who travelled with the team. The recent T20 World Cup contingent was probably the largest in terms of the number of people in the support staff for the women's team, that just shows how far the game has come. This is a result of the steps taken by the board for the growth of the women's game. Initially, the board did struggle to come up with a structure for the game in India. However, there is a framework in place for the game now, with the emergence of the India U-19 and India 'A' teams. These teams will act as feeders to the national team and will make us an even stronger unit in the long term. Back in the late 90s, even if a couple of senior players retired, it would take a few years for the team to get the balance right again. DSD: You made your international debut in 1999…we have lots of young prodigies now breaking into the current team. What do you tell a young prodigy like Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues about adjusting to the 50 over format from T20? Mithali Raj: I think every generation has a different approach to new challenges. Every approach to the game has pros and cons, there is certainly a difference in the way the younger generation plays the game, but that is only natural and positive for the growth of the sport. As far as their progress is concerned, it is important for them to stay grounded and focus on what is important. There are a lot of distractions in the age of social media and it can be tough to deal with. You can become an overnight star, but also lose everything you've got in a matter of days. The youngsters need mentoring and guidance so that they have the right balance in their lives. Anything that is done in extreme has an adverse effect in the long term. Even passion has its limits, it can prove to be detrimental. It is also important for them to have fun, that is part of the learning process. But they should never forget that they are India cricketers and representing the country. At the end of the day, it is their job to play the game of cricket and that is what earns them their bread. They have to realise that they are role models to millions and the way they conduct themselves is what people will remember them for.

Exclusive: 'Motivation to win World Cup for India keeps me going' - Mithali Raj opens up on future of women's cricket post-COVID-19 and more

<p>BCCI should not "wait forever" to start the women's IPL, said India women's ODI captain Mithali Raj, urging the board to make it happen next year on a smaller scale before gradually developing it.</p>

<p>"I personally feel they should start a women's IPL by next year, even if it's on a slightly smaller scale and with some changes in rules, such as, say, have five to six foreign players in the first edition instead of four as is the case with the men's IPL," Raj told 'ESPNCricinfo'</p>

<p>After India lost the T20 World Cup in the finals earlier this month, former skipper Sunil Gavaskar had called for a full-fledged women's IPL from next year to unearth talent.</p>

<p>In 2019, a three-team women's tournament was held featuring sides called IPL Velocity, IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas.</p>

<p>This year, the BCCI had decided to organise a four-team women's T20 challenge to run parallel to the men's IPL playoffs, but now it has been put on hold along with the main event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>

<p>India don't have enough women cricketers for a full-fledged IPL but Raj said it can still be conducted if existing IPL franchises own teams to begin the process.</p>

<p>"I agree we don't have the depth in the domestic pool yet, but the key is to get the existing franchises to form teams, even if (only) five or six of them are keen to begin the process because in any case, the BCCI was going to have four teams," she said.</p>

<p>"You cannot wait forever; you have to begin at some point, and gradually, year by year, you can keep evolving the league and then bring it down to four foreign players."</p>

<p>Raj also said that teen sensation Shafali Verma, who impressed with the bat in the T20 World Cup, should be included in the ODIs too.<br />
"It's not a bad idea to consider her for the ODIs. She is young but that should not be a criterion for not giving her opportunities in the ODI side," she said.</p>


BCCI should not "wait forever" to start the women's IPL, said India women's ODI captain Mithali Raj, urging the board to make it happen next year on a smaller scale before gradually developing it.

BCCI should not "wait forever" to start the women's IPL, said India women's ODI captain Mithali Raj, urging the board to make it happen next year on a smaller scale before gradually developing it. "I personally feel they should start a women's IPL by next year, even if it's on a slightly smaller scale and with some changes in rules, such as, say, have five to six foreign players in the first edition instead of four as is the case with the men's IPL," Raj told 'ESPNCricinfo' After India lost the T20 World Cup in the finals earlier this month, former skipper Sunil Gavaskar had called for a full-fledged women's IPL from next year to unearth talent. In 2019, a three-team women's tournament was held featuring sides called IPL Velocity, IPL Trailblazers and IPL Supernovas. This year, the BCCI had decided to organise a four-team women's T20 challenge to run parallel to the men's IPL playoffs, but now it has been put on hold along with the main event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. India don't have enough women cricketers for a full-fledged IPL but Raj said it can still be conducted if existing IPL franchises own teams to begin the process. "I agree we don't have the depth in the domestic pool yet, but the key is to get the existing franchises to form teams, even if (only) five or six of them are keen to begin the process because in any case, the BCCI was going to have four teams," she said. "You cannot wait forever; you have to begin at some point, and gradually, year by year, you can keep evolving the league and then bring it down to four foreign players." Raj also said that teen sensation Shafali Verma, who impressed with the bat in the T20 World Cup, should be included in the ODIs too. "It's not a bad idea to consider her for the ODIs. She is young but that should not be a criterion for not giving her opportunities in the ODI side," she said.

Mithali Raj wants women's IPL next year, says BCCI shouldn't wait forever

<p>Another day, another new sports biopic. This time Taapsee Pannu is all set to play the captain of Indian women's national cricket team Mitahli Raj in a film titled 'Shabaash Mithu'.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Mithali who retired from T20 form of cricket in September 2019 continues to be the captain of the ODI team and is likely to play for the national team till the World Cup in 2021.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Thursday, Taapsee shared the first look of the film in which she can be seen dressed in an Indian jersey as she looks intently while hitting a shot.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
"“I have always been asked who’s your favourite male cricketer but you should ask them who their favourite female cricketer is.” The statement that made every cricket lover pause n introspect that do they love the game or the gender playing it.@M_Raj03 you are a ‘Game Changer’" Taapsee tweeted with the poster.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">“I have always been asked who’s your favourite male cricketer but you should ask them who their favourite female cricketer is.” The statement that made every cricket lover pause n introspect that do they love the game or the gender playing it.<a href="https://twitter.com/M_Raj03?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@M_Raj03</a> you are a ‘Game Changer’ <a href="https://t.co/2VlxYpXmSM">pic.twitter.com/2VlxYpXmSM</a></p>
— taapsee pannu (@taapsee) <a href="https://twitter.com/taapsee/status/1222398323165814784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 29, 2020</a></blockquote>
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<p>The film will hit theatres in February 2021 and is being directed by Rahul Dholakia who has in the past made films like 'Raees' and 'Parzania'.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Taapsee has already started prepping for her role in the sports biopic and has also shared glimpses of her preparation on her social media pages.&nbsp;</p>


Another day, another new sports biopic. This time Taapsee Pannu is all set to play the captain of Indian women's national cricket team Mitahli Raj in a film titled 'Shabaash Mithu'.

Another day, another new sports biopic. This time Taapsee Pannu is all set to play the captain of Indian women's national cricket team Mitahli Raj in a film titled 'Shabaash Mithu'. Mithali who retired from T20 form of cricket in September 2019 continues to be the captain of the ODI team and is likely to play for the national team till the World Cup in 2021. On Thursday, Taapsee shared the first look of the film in which she can be seen dressed in an Indian jersey as she looks intently while hitting a shot. "“I have always been asked who’s your favourite male cricketer but you should ask them who their favourite female cricketer is.” The statement that made every cricket lover pause n introspect that do they love the game or the gender playing it.@M_Raj03 you are a ‘Game Changer’" Taapsee tweeted with the poster. “I have always been asked who’s your favourite male cricketer but you should ask them who their favourite female cricketer is.” The statement that made every cricket lover pause n introspect that do they love the game or the gender playing it.@M_Raj03 you are a ‘Game Changer’ pic.twitter.com/2VlxYpXmSM — taapsee pannu (@taapsee) January 29, 2020 × The film will hit theatres in February 2021 and is being directed by Rahul Dholakia who has in the past made films like 'Raees' and 'Parzania'. Taapsee has already started prepping for her role in the sports biopic and has also shared glimpses of her preparation on her social media pages.

'Shabaash Mithu' first poster: Presenting the first look of Taapsee Pannu as cricketer Mithali Raj

<p>Sports biopics are the new favourites in B-Town. Biopics on Saina Nehwal, Kapil Dev and Abhinav Bindra are already in the making and now, a biopic on Indian women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj has been announced. Actress Taapsee Pannu will be playing the cricketer in the film that has been titled as 'Shabaash Mithu`.<br />
<br />
Taapsee announced the upcoming project on Instagram while wishing Mithali on her 37th birthday. Taapsee`s wish for Mithali wasn`t a simple affair as she surprised fans with the big news. Wishing the birthday girl, the `Naam Shabana` actor assured her that she is all "prepared to learn the `cover drive`."<br />
<br />
"Happy Happy Birthday Captain Mithali Raj! You have made all of us proud in more than many ways and it`s truly an honour to be chosen to showcase your journey on screen," she captioned a string of pictures shared on Instagram.</p>

<p>Adding how confused she is about choosing a gift for her, Taapsee promised that "I shall give it all I have to make sure you will be proud of what you see of yourself on screen with #ShabaashMithu."</p>

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<p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B5mEVCRJF3W/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">Happy Happy Birthday Captain @mithaliraj ! You have made all of us proud in more than many ways and it’s truly an honour to be chosen to showcase your journey on screen. On this Birthday of yours I don’t know what gift I can give you but this promise that I shall give it all I have to make sure you will be proud of what you see of yourself on screen with #ShabaashMithu P.S- I am all prepared to learn THE ‘cover drive’ 🏏 #HappyBirthdayCaptain</a></p>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/taapsee/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px;" target="_blank"> Taapsee Pannu</a> (@taapsee) on <time datetime="2019-12-03T03:14:41+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;">Dec 2, 2019 at 7:14pm PST</time></p>
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<p>The skipper who turned 37 today achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first woman cricketer to complete 20 years in the international cricket earlier in October.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, Taapsee, on her work front was last seen alongside Bhumi Pednekar in `Saand Ki Aankh`, a film based on the lives of India`s two sharpshooters - Chandro and Prakashi Tomar, who took up shooting in their 60s.&nbsp;</p>


Sports biopics are the new favourites in B-Town. Biopics on Saina Nehwal, Kapil Dev and Abhinav Bindra are already in the making and now, a biopic on Indian women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj has been announced.

Sports biopics are the new favourites in B-Town. Biopics on Saina Nehwal, Kapil Dev and Abhinav Bindra are already in the making and now, a biopic on Indian women's cricket team captain Mithali Raj has been announced. Actress Taapsee Pannu will be playing the cricketer in the film that has been titled as 'Shabaash Mithu`. Taapsee announced the upcoming project on Instagram while wishing Mithali on her 37th birthday. Taapsee`s wish for Mithali wasn`t a simple affair as she surprised fans with the big news. Wishing the birthday girl, the `Naam Shabana` actor assured her that she is all "prepared to learn the `cover drive`." "Happy Happy Birthday Captain Mithali Raj! You have made all of us proud in more than many ways and it`s truly an honour to be chosen to showcase your journey on screen," she captioned a string of pictures shared on Instagram. Adding how confused she is about choosing a gift for her, Taapsee promised that "I shall give it all I have to make sure you will be proud of what you see of yourself on screen with #ShabaashMithu." View this post on Instagram Happy Happy Birthday Captain @mithaliraj ! You have made all of us proud in more than many ways and it’s truly an honour to be chosen to showcase your journey on screen. On this Birthday of yours I don’t know what gift I can give you but this promise that I shall give it all I have to make sure you will be proud of what you see of yourself on screen with #ShabaashMithu P.S- I am all prepared to learn THE ‘cover drive’ 🏏 #HappyBirthdayCaptain A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee) on Dec 2, 2019 at 7:14pm PST × The skipper who turned 37 today achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the first woman cricketer to complete 20 years in the international cricket earlier in October. Meanwhile, Taapsee, on her work front was last seen alongside Bhumi Pednekar in `Saand Ki Aankh`, a film based on the lives of India`s two sharpshooters - Chandro and Prakashi Tomar, who took up shooting in their 60s.

Taapsee Pannu to essay role of cricketer Mithali Raj in 'Shabaash Mithu'

<p>India women cricket team defeated West Indies by 53 runs in the second ODI of the three-match series here at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Sunday (local time).</p>

<p>Chasing a target of 192, West Indies got off to a bad start as they lost their opener early in the 4th over.</p>

<p>Stacy-Ann King was picked by Shikha Pandey after scoring 6 runs.</p>

<p>Opener Natasha McLean after scoring 15 runs left the ground. Shemaine Campbelle played a knock of 39 runs which was the highest individual score from the side.</p>

<p>Captain Stafanie Taylor scored 20 runs before gifting away her wicket to Poonam Yadav.</p>

<p>In the 29th over, Chedean Nation (6) was too sent back to the pavilion by Yadav.</p>

<p>Kyshona Knight (1), Sheneta Grimmond (0), and Shabika Gajnabi (7) also failed to score big runs and were dismissed cheaply.</p>

<p>Alleyne and Fletcher's 16 and 14 respectively did not put their team over the line as West Indies were all out on 138.</p>

<p>For India, Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Deepti Sharma clinched two wickets each.</p>

<p>Earlier, the Indian team won the toss and opted to bat. India in their allotted 50-overs posted a target of 192 for the hosts.</p>

<p>India had a struggling start as their both openers were departed early without scoring many runs.</p>

<p>Jemimah Rodrigues (0) and Priya Punia (5) were sent back to the pavilion by Aaliyah Alleyne and Shabika Gajnabi respectively.</p>

<p>Punam Raut along with skipper Mithali Raj stitched a partnership of 66 runs for the third wicket and helped the team to went past the 50-run mark.</p>

<p>Raj (40) was dismissed by Sheneta Grimmond in the 29th over at the team score of 3-83.</p>

<p>Harmanpreet Kaur joined Raut in the middle and both the players kept the scoreboard moving and built a stand of 93 runs before the former was scalped by Alleyne in the 47th over.</p>

<p>Kaur played a crucial knock of 46 runs to post a respectable target in front of West Indies.</p>

<p>In the next over (48th), Raut's (77) resistance was ended by Afy Fletcher. Deepti Sharma (5) failed to leave her mark on the crease and was stumped by wicket-keeper Shemaine Campbelle off Fletcher.</p>

<p>Taniya Bhatia and Jhulan Goswami remained unbeaten with a score of 9 and 1 respectively. India scored 191/6 in the 50 overs. For Windies, Alleyne and Fletcher bagged two wickets each.</p>

<p>With this win, India has<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/antigua-odi-west-indies-women-script-one-run-victory-over-india-259503"> levelled the series</a> by 1-1 and the next match will be played at the same ground on November 6.</p>


India women cricket team defeated West Indies by 53 runs in the second ODI of the three-match series here at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Sunday (local time).

India women cricket team defeated West Indies by 53 runs in the second ODI of the three-match series here at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Sunday (local time). Chasing a target of 192, West Indies got off to a bad start as they lost their opener early in the 4th over. Stacy-Ann King was picked by Shikha Pandey after scoring 6 runs. Opener Natasha McLean after scoring 15 runs left the ground. Shemaine Campbelle played a knock of 39 runs which was the highest individual score from the side. Captain Stafanie Taylor scored 20 runs before gifting away her wicket to Poonam Yadav. In the 29th over, Chedean Nation (6) was too sent back to the pavilion by Yadav. Kyshona Knight (1), Sheneta Grimmond (0), and Shabika Gajnabi (7) also failed to score big runs and were dismissed cheaply. Alleyne and Fletcher's 16 and 14 respectively did not put their team over the line as West Indies were all out on 138. For India, Yadav, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, and Deepti Sharma clinched two wickets each. Earlier, the Indian team won the toss and opted to bat. India in their allotted 50-overs posted a target of 192 for the hosts. India had a struggling start as their both openers were departed early without scoring many runs. Jemimah Rodrigues (0) and Priya Punia (5) were sent back to the pavilion by Aaliyah Alleyne and Shabika Gajnabi respectively. Punam Raut along with skipper Mithali Raj stitched a partnership of 66 runs for the third wicket and helped the team to went past the 50-run mark. Raj (40) was dismissed by Sheneta Grimmond in the 29th over at the team score of 3-83. Harmanpreet Kaur joined Raut in the middle and both the players kept the scoreboard moving and built a stand of 93 runs before the former was scalped by Alleyne in the 47th over. Kaur played a crucial knock of 46 runs to post a respectable target in front of West Indies. In the next over (48th), Raut's (77) resistance was ended by Afy Fletcher. Deepti Sharma (5) failed to leave her mark on the crease and was stumped by wicket-keeper Shemaine Campbelle off Fletcher. Taniya Bhatia and Jhulan Goswami remained unbeaten with a score of 9 and 1 respectively. India scored 191/6 in the 50 overs. For Windies, Alleyne and Fletcher bagged two wickets each. With this win, India has levelled the series by 1-1 and the next match will be played at the same ground on November 6.

India women's cricket team defeats West Indies by 53 runs in second ODI

<p>West Indies women scripted a one-run victory over India in the first ODI of the three-match series here at the North Sound Stadium on Friday (local time).</p>

<p>Chasing 226, India's openers Jemimah Rodrigues and Priya Punia provided a steady start and put on 78 runs for the first wicket.</p>

<p>Their partnership was broken in the 22nd over as Stafanie Taylor dismissed Rodrigues (41).</p>

<p>Poonam Raut came out to bat next and she had a partnership of 46 runs with Punia, but West Indies once again got a breakthrough at a crucial juncture as Raut (22) was run-out.</p>

<p>Captain Mithali Raj next came out to the middle and she along with Punia, stitched together a stand of 46 runs.</p>

<p>India had a big setback as Punia (75) was sent back to the pavilion in the 40th over, with the team still 56 runs away from the target.</p>

<p>After Punia's dismissal, India lost wickets in a cluster and was 217/9 in the final over with the team still requiring nine more runs for a win.</p>

<p>Jhulan Goswami tried her best to get the team over the line, but West Indies got the last wicket of Poonam Yadav and won by a run.<br />
Earlier, Taylor's knock of 94 runs enabled West Indies to post a score of 225/7 in the allotted fifty overs.</p>

<p>West Indies got off to a steady start with openers Stacy-Ann King and Natasha McLean putting up a 51-run stand. But India got two quick wickets, leaving the team at 51/2 in the 17th over.</p>

<p>The side kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but Taylor held the fort. She found support in Chedean Nation and the duo ensured that the team posted a healthy total on the board.</p>

<p>For India, Shikha Pandey and Deepti Sharma got two wickets each.</p>

<p>The next ODI is on Sunday, November 3.&nbsp;</p>


West Indies women scripted a one-run victory over India in the first ODI of the three-match series here at the North Sound Stadium on Friday (local time). Chasing 226, India's openers Jemimah Rodrigues and Priya Punia provided a steady start and put on 78 runs for the first wicket.

West Indies women scripted a one-run victory over India in the first ODI of the three-match series here at the North Sound Stadium on Friday (local time). Chasing 226, India's openers Jemimah Rodrigues and Priya Punia provided a steady start and put on 78 runs for the first wicket. Their partnership was broken in the 22nd over as Stafanie Taylor dismissed Rodrigues (41). Poonam Raut came out to bat next and she had a partnership of 46 runs with Punia, but West Indies once again got a breakthrough at a crucial juncture as Raut (22) was run-out. Captain Mithali Raj next came out to the middle and she along with Punia, stitched together a stand of 46 runs. India had a big setback as Punia (75) was sent back to the pavilion in the 40th over, with the team still 56 runs away from the target. After Punia's dismissal, India lost wickets in a cluster and was 217/9 in the final over with the team still requiring nine more runs for a win. Jhulan Goswami tried her best to get the team over the line, but West Indies got the last wicket of Poonam Yadav and won by a run. Earlier, Taylor's knock of 94 runs enabled West Indies to post a score of 225/7 in the allotted fifty overs. West Indies got off to a steady start with openers Stacy-Ann King and Natasha McLean putting up a 51-run stand. But India got two quick wickets, leaving the team at 51/2 in the 17th over. The side kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but Taylor held the fort. She found support in Chedean Nation and the duo ensured that the team posted a healthy total on the board. For India, Shikha Pandey and Deepti Sharma got two wickets each. The next ODI is on Sunday, November 3.

Antigua ODI: West Indies women script one-run victory over India

<p>Mithali Raj, known as the pioneer of women's cricket in India feels that coming under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was a turning point for the women's sport in the country. Her remarks came after she decided to retire from T20I format.</p>

<p>Raj went on to represent India in 89 T20Is, managing to score 2,364 runs.</p>

<p>"Well, I think the turning point, in my opinion, has to be 2006 as in that year we came under BCCI. With that a lot of facilities were provided to us, a lot of things changed for good and better. Since then, there has been a gradual improvement in respect to the access in facilities like NCA and an increase in the support staff," Raj, in an exclusive interview, told ANI.</p>

<p>"Lot more matches and international series started to get scheduled for us and also contracts came into effect which gave security to the players and they were able to focus on their game," she added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 36-year-old chose to retire from the T20I format on Tuesday, September 3.</p>

<p>She did not see herself playing the T20 World Cup in Australia next year, so she thought of grooming players for the upcoming tournament.</p>

<p>Earlier this year, she made up her mind to retire from the format and would want the 50-over World Cup in 2021 to be her swansong.</p>

<p>"This decision was taken in January itself during the New Zealand tour. I had told the coach WV Raman and chairman of selectors about my decision. The captain also knew about that. All the people who were needed to be told about my decision were informed. 2021 World Cup would definitely be my swansong. I am looking forward to preparing for the World Cup," Raj said.</p>

<p>"I did not see myself playing the T20 World Cup next year in Australia. I thought I should make the coach aware of my plans so that he can think of an alternative for the team and starts preparing the side likewise. I wanted to give him that time where he can try various players to get experience into the side," she added.</p>

<p>In 2016, the cricketer was dropped from the T20 World Cup semi-final match against England. There was a clear rift between then coach Ramesh Powar and Raj.</p>

<p>She had also alleged that Powar publically humiliated her. But when asked if her fallout with the coach had an impact on her decision, Raj batted the question with a cricketer's precision.</p>

<p>"Well, the fallout with coach Ramesh Powar did not have any impact on my decision. I do not make decisions based on emotion, because it is my career and I would like to be more practical when it comes to career. Fallout with Powar did not have any role to play," Raj said.</p>

<p>Raj has had a wonderful T20 career and also became the first Indian to score 2000 T20I runs.</p>

<p>The cricketer who made her T20I debut in 2006 said that the game has witnessed many changes since then and the introduction of various leagues across the globe has given wonderful players to the sport. She also said that she would look to play the Women's IPL next year as the league is the country's own.</p>

<p>"I think it definitely has improved since 2006 because of the consistency of matches. So many players coming in with the onset of various leagues and it has helped in the growth of the sport," Raj said.</p>

<p>"Well, not necessarily the other leagues but yes I look forward to the Women's IPL because it is our own league and I would love to be part of it," she added.</p>

<p>Women's cricket continues to attract more and more admirers each passing day. But getting Test matches scheduled for the women teams still remains a challenge as the prime focus looks to be on the shorter formats.</p>

<p>Raj said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is promoting the women's game globally and are doing whatever is best for the sport.</p>

<p>"I think at some level the ICC is trying to promote the women's game globally and that requires them to focus more on ODI and T20I cricket. They are trying to revive the game. Maybe once women's game is able to find good standing among fans, then they can focus on Test cricket but as of now with T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup, I do not think boards will look into Test matches," Raj said.</p>


Mithali Raj, known as the pioneer of women's cricket in India feels that coming under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was a turning point for the women's sport in the country.

Mithali Raj, known as the pioneer of women's cricket in India feels that coming under the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was a turning point for the women's sport in the country. Her remarks came after she decided to retire from T20I format. Raj went on to represent India in 89 T20Is, managing to score 2,364 runs. "Well, I think the turning point, in my opinion, has to be 2006 as in that year we came under BCCI. With that a lot of facilities were provided to us, a lot of things changed for good and better. Since then, there has been a gradual improvement in respect to the access in facilities like NCA and an increase in the support staff," Raj, in an exclusive interview, told ANI. "Lot more matches and international series started to get scheduled for us and also contracts came into effect which gave security to the players and they were able to focus on their game," she added. The 36-year-old chose to retire from the T20I format on Tuesday, September 3. She did not see herself playing the T20 World Cup in Australia next year, so she thought of grooming players for the upcoming tournament. Earlier this year, she made up her mind to retire from the format and would want the 50-over World Cup in 2021 to be her swansong. "This decision was taken in January itself during the New Zealand tour. I had told the coach WV Raman and chairman of selectors about my decision. The captain also knew about that. All the people who were needed to be told about my decision were informed. 2021 World Cup would definitely be my swansong. I am looking forward to preparing for the World Cup," Raj said. "I did not see myself playing the T20 World Cup next year in Australia. I thought I should make the coach aware of my plans so that he can think of an alternative for the team and starts preparing the side likewise. I wanted to give him that time where he can try various players to get experience into the side," she added. In 2016, the cricketer was dropped from the T20 World Cup semi-final match against England. There was a clear rift between then coach Ramesh Powar and Raj. She had also alleged that Powar publically humiliated her. But when asked if her fallout with the coach had an impact on her decision, Raj batted the question with a cricketer's precision. "Well, the fallout with coach Ramesh Powar did not have any impact on my decision. I do not make decisions based on emotion, because it is my career and I would like to be more practical when it comes to career. Fallout with Powar did not have any role to play," Raj said. Raj has had a wonderful T20 career and also became the first Indian to score 2000 T20I runs. The cricketer who made her T20I debut in 2006 said that the game has witnessed many changes since then and the introduction of various leagues across the globe has given wonderful players to the sport. She also said that she would look to play the Women's IPL next year as the league is the country's own. "I think it definitely has improved since 2006 because of the consistency of matches. So many players coming in with the onset of various leagues and it has helped in the growth of the sport," Raj said. "Well, not necessarily the other leagues but yes I look forward to the Women's IPL because it is our own league and I would love to be part of it," she added. Women's cricket continues to attract more and more admirers each passing day. But getting Test matches scheduled for the women teams still remains a challenge as the prime focus looks to be on the shorter formats. Raj said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is promoting the women's game globally and are doing whatever is best for the sport. "I think at some level the ICC is trying to promote the women's game globally and that requires them to focus more on ODI and T20I cricket. They are trying to revive the game. Maybe once women's game is able to find good standing among fans, then they can focus on Test cricket but as of now with T20 World Cup and ODI World Cup, I do not think boards will look into Test matches," Raj said.

Coming under BCCI, the turning point for women's cricket in India: Mithali Raj

<p>Former India captain Mithali Raj announced retirement from T20 Internationals,&nbsp;confirmed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"After representing India in T20 internationals since 2006, I wish to retire from T20Is to focus my energies on readying myself for the 2021 One Day World Cup," said Mithali in a statement released by the BCCI.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It remains my dream to win a World Cup for my country and I want to give it my best," she added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I thank the BCCI for their continuous support and wish the Indian T20 team good luck as they prepare for the home series against South Africa Women," Mithali further said.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">BREAKING: <a href="https://twitter.com/M_Raj03?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@M_Raj03</a> announces retirement from T20Is<br />
<br />
She led India in 32 T20Is including the three Women’s WT20 World Cups in 2012 (Sri Lanka), 2014 (Bangladesh) and 2016 (India).<br />
<br />
More details here - <a href="https://t.co/Yuv1CaCXFv">https://t.co/Yuv1CaCXFv</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y6n5irOoME">pic.twitter.com/Y6n5irOoME</a></p>
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCIWomen/status/1168803310272278530?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>Mithali has led India in 32 T20Is including the three Women’s WT20 World Cups in 2012 (Sri Lanka), 2014 (Bangladesh) and 2016 (India).</p>


Former India captain Mithali Raj announced retirement from T20 Internationals, confirmed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday. "After representing India in T20 internationals since 2006, I wish to retire from T20Is to focus my energies on readying myself for the 2021 One Day World Cup," said Mithali in a statement released by the BCCI.

Former India captain Mithali Raj announced retirement from T20 Internationals, confirmed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday. "After representing India in T20 internationals since 2006, I wish to retire from T20Is to focus my energies on readying myself for the 2021 One Day World Cup," said Mithali in a statement released by the BCCI. "It remains my dream to win a World Cup for my country and I want to give it my best," she added. "I thank the BCCI for their continuous support and wish the Indian T20 team good luck as they prepare for the home series against South Africa Women," Mithali further said. BREAKING: @M_Raj03 announces retirement from T20Is She led India in 32 T20Is including the three Women’s WT20 World Cups in 2012 (Sri Lanka), 2014 (Bangladesh) and 2016 (India). More details here - https://t.co/Yuv1CaCXFv pic.twitter.com/Y6n5irOoME — BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) September 3, 2019 × Mithali has led India in 32 T20Is including the three Women’s WT20 World Cups in 2012 (Sri Lanka), 2014 (Bangladesh) and 2016 (India).

India's Mithali Raj announces retirement from T20Is

<p>"It has been a long time since we have seen women's matches in Jaipur. It will be interesting what the crowds are like," former India women captain Shubhangi Kulkarni had told ANI ahead of the recently-concluded <a href="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-uds-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/sports/womens-t20-league-was-great-but-need-to-have-more-teams-harmanpreet-218084/amp&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwj2iOG68JriAhXVlOYKHTEYAn4QFjAAegQIBRAC&amp;usg=AOvVaw0WVMX411ZUxpWrXB-eepYI">Women's T20 Challenge.</a></p>

<p>The three matches prior to the May 11 showdown at Sawai Mansingh stadium saw fewer spectators.</p>

<p>However, the finale between Velocity and eventual champions Supernovas witnessed a crowd of over 13,000 people cheering both Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur's teams contesting in the low-scoring last-ball thriller.</p>

<p>"Mostly in the major cities, we haven't had a good crowd. There were times earlier when we used to have packed stadiums. We had an England versus India match in Centurion in 2004 (which saw) a packed stadium. In 1976, we played a Test match at Patna and we had a full stadium. I think we need to pick the right venues to be able to attract the crowd. We need to think differently about women's games. Think of those venues where we will get full crowds," Kulkarni said.</p>

<p>Staging a full-fledged league may take some more time, given the concerns of BCCI over the depth of India's domestic pool of players.</p>

<p>'Use inter-school and inter-university tournaments to build base'&nbsp;India women's first captain Shantha Rangaswamy is of the view that inter-school state tournaments is where the base will improve.</p>

<p>"You need to have a wider and much larger pool of players to choose from. My worry is where is the wide base we are looking for to select? Even if they make 4-5 teams (for Women`s IPL), they have to work from the back end and popularise the game at the school level," Rangaswamy said in an interview to ANI.</p>

<p>"I feel we should coordinate with Indian universities and inter-schools and fix their tournaments in such a way that it doesn't clash with the BCCI tournaments because that is where the players are coming from. It's a feeder and we need to nourish the feeders."</p>

<p>"Right now inter-university is basically a shadow of what it was 30-40 years back. There was a very high level of standards then but now most of the girls are busy playing state. That's why there's a need for better coordination. Coming on TV, diving, taking a couple of catches, it's all good, people need that - I agree. But the larger picture is still hazy. That`s where we need to concentrate without ignoring this (Women's T20 Challenge), which needs to go on. The show must go on," Rangaswamy explained.</p>

<p>"Was BCCI willing to do this also? No! After 2017, things have changed. The perception has changed within BCCI itself. It has changed for the better. I`ll be very happy in the next 4-5 years if franchises come forward and we have a full-fledged IPL, but for that to happen, the next 5 years we need to do a lot of preparatory work. BCCI has in place T20 inter-state for juniors, for seniors, under 19 and 23. I still regret that BCCI has dispensed with inter-zonal -- that was the platform where we found high standards, more competition,"&nbsp;Rangaswamy added.</p>

<p>"Now they are holding Challengers which I feel is a crazy move and I don't subscribe to that whatever be the merits. It can never ever replace inter-zonal because inter-zonal was (I can assure you) the pinnacle of domestic cricket. It's a sad story or whatever the reasons I don't know but I feel they must reintroduce inter-zonal for one-day as well as T20. Inter-zonal was the litmus test in domestic cricket because the pressure and standards were high, we must get that revived," Rangaswamy, a veteran of 16 Tests and 19 ODIs, said.</p>

<p>On the other hand, Kulkarni, secretary of the erstwhile Women's Cricket Association, said, "I feel the girls will adapt when they play more T20 games. If you see it has happened with the men's team. Initially, they were not prepared to play T20 Internationals. During the first World Cup in 2007, men were not prepared for it. But as they went along they all got better. In men's cricket, the more players are playing, the better they are getting."</p>

<p>"I feel once these girls start playing these matches, their skill level will get enhanced and they will start performing better. There is a lot of interest; people are following women's cricket right from the World Cup final in 2017. Since then, there has been an interest shown by not just spectators but even sponsors. Girls are now being managed by agencies, there are people giving them sponsorship. I definitely see a full-fledged IPL beginning," Kulkarni, who has played 19 Tests and 27 ODIs, added.</p>

<p>The women's T20 league offers a great platform to showcase talent and hone skills by rubbing shoulders with professional overseas players. With a stronger Indian base, the tournament is set to become more competitive, and, in turn, force franchises to invest more and make it a huge success.</p>


"It has been a long time since we have seen women's matches in Jaipur. It will be interesting what the crowds are like," former India women captain Shubhangi Kulkarni had told ANI ahead of the recently-concluded Women's T20 Challenge.

"It has been a long time since we have seen women's matches in Jaipur. It will be interesting what the crowds are like," former India women captain Shubhangi Kulkarni had told ANI ahead of the recently-concluded Women's T20 Challenge. The three matches prior to the May 11 showdown at Sawai Mansingh stadium saw fewer spectators. However, the finale between Velocity and eventual champions Supernovas witnessed a crowd of over 13,000 people cheering both Mithali Raj and Harmanpreet Kaur's teams contesting in the low-scoring last-ball thriller. "Mostly in the major cities, we haven't had a good crowd. There were times earlier when we used to have packed stadiums. We had an England versus India match in Centurion in 2004 (which saw) a packed stadium. In 1976, we played a Test match at Patna and we had a full stadium. I think we need to pick the right venues to be able to attract the crowd. We need to think differently about women's games. Think of those venues where we will get full crowds," Kulkarni said. Staging a full-fledged league may take some more time, given the concerns of BCCI over the depth of India's domestic pool of players. 'Use inter-school and inter-university tournaments to build base' India women's first captain Shantha Rangaswamy is of the view that inter-school state tournaments is where the base will improve. "You need to have a wider and much larger pool of players to choose from. My worry is where is the wide base we are looking for to select? Even if they make 4-5 teams (for Women`s IPL), they have to work from the back end and popularise the game at the school level," Rangaswamy said in an interview to ANI. "I feel we should coordinate with Indian universities and inter-schools and fix their tournaments in such a way that it doesn't clash with the BCCI tournaments because that is where the players are coming from. It's a feeder and we need to nourish the feeders." "Right now inter-university is basically a shadow of what it was 30-40 years back. There was a very high level of standards then but now most of the girls are busy playing state. That's why there's a need for better coordination. Coming on TV, diving, taking a couple of catches, it's all good, people need that - I agree. But the larger picture is still hazy. That`s where we need to concentrate without ignoring this (Women's T20 Challenge), which needs to go on. The show must go on," Rangaswamy explained. "Was BCCI willing to do this also? No! After 2017, things have changed. The perception has changed within BCCI itself. It has changed for the better. I`ll be very happy in the next 4-5 years if franchises come forward and we have a full-fledged IPL, but for that to happen, the next 5 years we need to do a lot of preparatory work. BCCI has in place T20 inter-state for juniors, for seniors, under 19 and 23. I still regret that BCCI has dispensed with inter-zonal -- that was the platform where we found high standards, more competition," Rangaswamy added. "Now they are holding Challengers which I feel is a crazy move and I don't subscribe to that whatever be the merits. It can never ever replace inter-zonal because inter-zonal was (I can assure you) the pinnacle of domestic cricket. It's a sad story or whatever the reasons I don't know but I feel they must reintroduce inter-zonal for one-day as well as T20. Inter-zonal was the litmus test in domestic cricket because the pressure and standards were high, we must get that revived," Rangaswamy, a veteran of 16 Tests and 19 ODIs, said. On the other hand, Kulkarni, secretary of the erstwhile Women's Cricket Association, said, "I feel the girls will adapt when they play more T20 games. If you see it has happened with the men's team. Initially, they were not prepared to play T20 Internationals. During the first World Cup in 2007, men were not prepared for it. But as they went along they all got better. In men's cricket, the more players are playing, the better they are getting." "I feel once these girls start playing these matches, their skill level will get enhanced and they will start performing better. There is a lot of interest; people are following women's cricket right from the World Cup final in 2017. Since then, there has been an interest shown by not just spectators but even sponsors. Girls are now being managed by agencies, there are people giving them sponsorship. I definitely see a full-fledged IPL beginning," Kulkarni, who has played 19 Tests and 27 ODIs, added. The women's T20 league offers a great platform to showcase talent and hone skills by rubbing shoulders with professional overseas players. With a stronger Indian base, the tournament is set to become more competitive, and, in turn, force franchises to invest more and make it a huge success.

Pick right venues and improve base for Women's IPL, say India's former captains

<p>India Women’s cricket team has made all the right noises in the recent past but it still lags behind in terms of benefits, outreach and popularity to the men's game.</p>

<p>And now, with men's Indian Premier League (IPL) having entered its 12th edition and its popularity growing in leaps and bounds with each passing year, Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj proposed to have such a tournament for her side also.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In an exclusive to WION, Mithali talked about the growing clamour for a women's IPL in the country, saying "it is the right time to start the tournament."</p>

<p>However, a year or so earlier, Mithali was the one who said on the record that such a tournament is not viable because there isn't perhaps a large enough talent pool of Indian women players.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
When asked does that still holds true, Mithali said, after the 2018 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup, things have changed for the women players in the country.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I was asked about the IPL 3-4 years ago. Back then I felt that we as women's cricket in India still need to grow, still need to spread that awareness among people. Attract people to follow women's cricket."</p>

<p>"But now after the world cup, after the one-day world cup, I have seen how people are so interested to follow the national side, the performance of the team and even the profiling of each player has improved since then. And I only think that we should start, even though we don't have a pool of players. "</p>

<p>The 36-year-old women cricketer said, that such tournament will help create a base.</p>

<p>"We should start may be as three or four teams and try to have a double leg because it will create a base and in another two-three season we might improve and increase the participation of team," she added.</p>

<p>Mithali is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in WODIs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>During the 2018 Women's Asia Cup, she also became the first player from India (either male or female) to score 2000 runs in T20Is, and also became the first woman cricketer to reach 2000 WT20I runs.</p>

<p>And after achieving all such record, Raj felt that the women's side is not getting its worth and hence she proposed a mixed gender cricket match.</p>

<p>When asked why such where this idea came from, Raj said," It is all about having a gender equality platform and we should be starting from sports arena and cricket is something, where for a long period people associate men's cricket when they talk about the sport. "</p>

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<p>"But since the 2-3 years after the World Cup, the way the India women's cricket team has done, now the conversation tilts towards women's cricket too."</p>

<p>Raj also added that the cricket sport should not be seen as one gender's property.</p>

<p>"I think this is important that this as a sport should be seen in our country and not men's cricket or women's cricket. And this is also a good concept I feel because a lot of general people, when they travel on the streets, see a lot of boys playing but never do you get to see a girl playing along with them."</p>

<p>When asked if that is even possible, Raj was quick to say 'yes' because "as professional cricketers, we train along with boys at the nets or we have some matches playing against them."</p>

<p>"So I think it is a great thing to have a gender-mixed match and promote gender equality for young kids, where boys and girls are playing together for the same team."</p>


India Women’s cricket team has made all the right noises in the recent past but it still lags behind in terms of benefits, outreach and popularity to the men's game.

India Women’s cricket team has made all the right noises in the recent past but it still lags behind in terms of benefits, outreach and popularity to the men's game. And now, with men's Indian Premier League (IPL) having entered its 12th edition and its popularity growing in leaps and bounds with each passing year, Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj proposed to have such a tournament for her side also. In an exclusive to WION, Mithali talked about the growing clamour for a women's IPL in the country, saying "it is the right time to start the tournament." However, a year or so earlier, Mithali was the one who said on the record that such a tournament is not viable because there isn't perhaps a large enough talent pool of Indian women players. When asked does that still holds true, Mithali said, after the 2018 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup, things have changed for the women players in the country. "I was asked about the IPL 3-4 years ago. Back then I felt that we as women's cricket in India still need to grow, still need to spread that awareness among people. Attract people to follow women's cricket." "But now after the world cup, after the one-day world cup, I have seen how people are so interested to follow the national side, the performance of the team and even the profiling of each player has improved since then. And I only think that we should start, even though we don't have a pool of players. " The 36-year-old women cricketer said, that such tournament will help create a base. "We should start may be as three or four teams and try to have a double leg because it will create a base and in another two-three season we might improve and increase the participation of team," she added. Mithali is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in WODIs. During the 2018 Women's Asia Cup, she also became the first player from India (either male or female) to score 2000 runs in T20Is, and also became the first woman cricketer to reach 2000 WT20I runs. And after achieving all such record, Raj felt that the women's side is not getting its worth and hence she proposed a mixed gender cricket match. When asked why such where this idea came from, Raj said," It is all about having a gender equality platform and we should be starting from sports arena and cricket is something, where for a long period people associate men's cricket when they talk about the sport. " × "But since the 2-3 years after the World Cup, the way the India women's cricket team has done, now the conversation tilts towards women's cricket too." Raj also added that the cricket sport should not be seen as one gender's property. "I think this is important that this as a sport should be seen in our country and not men's cricket or women's cricket. And this is also a good concept I feel because a lot of general people, when they travel on the streets, see a lot of boys playing but never do you get to see a girl playing along with them." When asked if that is even possible, Raj was quick to say 'yes' because "as professional cricketers, we train along with boys at the nets or we have some matches playing against them." "So I think it is a great thing to have a gender-mixed match and promote gender equality for young kids, where boys and girls are playing together for the same team."

Right time to start women's IPL tournament: ODI captain Mithali Raj to WION

Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj throws light on a campaign featuring her, Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy and men's captain Virat Kohli for a revolutionary mixed-gender cricket match that aims to promote gender equality through Sport. She also speaks about the gender pay gap in Sport in an exclusive conversation with WION.

Mithali Raj Exclusive: Mixed-gender cricket on the cards?

Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj talks about the growing clamour for a women's IPL in India and whether there is enough of a talent pool in the country to make such a tournament viable in an exclusive conversation with WION

Mithali Raj Exclusive: Time right for Women's IPL?

<p>Opener Smriti Mandhana's stylish 63 was complemented by skipper Mithali Raj's unbeaten 47 as Indian women cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket victory against England to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chasing an easy target of 162, the hosts cantered to the target in 41.1 overs, primarily due to two significant partnerships.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 73-run stand between Mandhana and Poonam Raut (32 off 65 balls) for the second wicket set the foundation and the 66 runs for the third wicket clinched the issue in favour of 'Women In Blue'.</p>

<p>This was after pacers Shikha Pandey (4/18 in 10 overs) and Jhulan Goswami (4/30 in 8.3 overs) wreaked havoc with their fiery spells to bundle out the opposition for a paltry 161 in 43.3 overs.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The second win on the trot also helped the hosts grab two crucial points to go up the ladder in the ICC Women's ODI championship table.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>India won the first game by 66 runs and the third and final game will be played at the same venue on February 28.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A great effort today by the team to win the series especially <a href="https://twitter.com/shikhashauny?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@shikhashauny</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/mandhana_smriti?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mandhana_smriti</a> who were brilliant with the ball &amp; bat respectively. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/INDvENG?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#INDvENG</a> 🏏🏆 <a href="https://twitter.com/BCCIWomen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BCCIWomen</a> <a href="https://t.co/3pbhIM1I35">pic.twitter.com/3pbhIM1I35</a></p>
— Jhulan Goswami (@JhulanG10) <a href="https://twitter.com/JhulanG10/status/1099992418735349765?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>"The first half is very important even if you choose to bat. Later on, the wicket eases out because the pitches here are well rolled. I was a bit disappointed with the 10th wicket partnership England got, but I guess, 150-odd, I knew we were always there," skipper Mithali said after the match.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After India lost Jemimah Rodrigues (0) early, Mandhana and one-down Raut steadied the ship. Mandhana hit seven fours and a six in her 74-ball knock while Raut played her usual defensive game with four boundaries to her credit.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mandhana was in her element, hitting eloquent drives and pulls as England bowlers were taken to task.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Raut, who got a 'life' on 26 after Natalie Sciver dropped her catch on her own bowling, however could not make most of it. Soon after that, she was stumped by Sarah Taylor off Georgia Elwiss, even as, the hosts still required another 88 runs for a victory.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But then skipper Mithali played her part to perfection as she and Mandhana dashed off any hopes that England had harboured.&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, Mandhana was trapped in front of the wicket by Anya Shrubsole, with India requiring another 22 runs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Raj, who is the leading run getter in ODIs, showed her class and stamped her authority, hitting eight fours in the process.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Deepti Sharma remained unbeaten on 6 with her captain and fittingly Mithali finished the game with a boundary.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Earlier, Pandey and Goswami snapped four wickets each as they ripped apart the England batting line-up after their skipper Heather Knight chose to bat first.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pandey, who returned with her best figures in ODIs, surpassing her previous best of 4/34, and Jhulan kept a tight leash and were rewarded for it. The duo was well supported by spinner Poonam Yadav (2-28).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Only Natalie Sciver (85), who hammered 12 fours and a six, put up a lone fight to take the score past 150.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"My role was to give early breakthroughs and to stick to my plans, and I was happy to bowl in the right areas. I wanted to consistently do that and hope the batsmen make an error too," Goswami said at the post-match presentation ceremony.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>"When you're bowling in a Powerplay, then you need to have a second plan. Can't just use one stock ball, so was just trying to enjoy the bowling. As long as you're playing, nerves will always be there. It will always help you to do better," she added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Brief Scores: England Woman 161 all out (Natalie Sciver 85, Lauren Winfield 28, Shikha Pandey 4-18, Jhulan Goswami 4-30) lost to India Women 162/3 (Smriti Mandhana 63, Mithali Raj 47 not out, Anya Shrubsole 2-23, Georgia Elwiss 1-28) by seven wickets.&nbsp;</p>


Opener Smriti Mandhana's stylish 63 was complemented by skipper Mithali Raj's unbeaten 47 as Indian women cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket victory against England to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

Opener Smriti Mandhana's stylish 63 was complemented by skipper Mithali Raj's unbeaten 47 as Indian women cruised to a comfortable seven-wicket victory against England to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Chasing an easy target of 162, the hosts cantered to the target in 41.1 overs, primarily due to two significant partnerships. The 73-run stand between Mandhana and Poonam Raut (32 off 65 balls) for the second wicket set the foundation and the 66 runs for the third wicket clinched the issue in favour of 'Women In Blue'. This was after pacers Shikha Pandey (4/18 in 10 overs) and Jhulan Goswami (4/30 in 8.3 overs) wreaked havoc with their fiery spells to bundle out the opposition for a paltry 161 in 43.3 overs. The second win on the trot also helped the hosts grab two crucial points to go up the ladder in the ICC Women's ODI championship table. India won the first game by 66 runs and the third and final game will be played at the same venue on February 28. A great effort today by the team to win the series especially @shikhashauny & @mandhana_smriti who were brilliant with the ball & bat respectively. #INDvENG 🏏🏆 @BCCIWomen pic.twitter.com/3pbhIM1I35 — Jhulan Goswami (@JhulanG10) February 25, 2019 × "The first half is very important even if you choose to bat. Later on, the wicket eases out because the pitches here are well rolled. I was a bit disappointed with the 10th wicket partnership England got, but I guess, 150-odd, I knew we were always there," skipper Mithali said after the match. After India lost Jemimah Rodrigues (0) early, Mandhana and one-down Raut steadied the ship. Mandhana hit seven fours and a six in her 74-ball knock while Raut played her usual defensive game with four boundaries to her credit. Mandhana was in her element, hitting eloquent drives and pulls as England bowlers were taken to task. Raut, who got a 'life' on 26 after Natalie Sciver dropped her catch on her own bowling, however could not make most of it. Soon after that, she was stumped by Sarah Taylor off Georgia Elwiss, even as, the hosts still required another 88 runs for a victory. But then skipper Mithali played her part to perfection as she and Mandhana dashed off any hopes that England had harboured. However, Mandhana was trapped in front of the wicket by Anya Shrubsole, with India requiring another 22 runs. Raj, who is the leading run getter in ODIs, showed her class and stamped her authority, hitting eight fours in the process. Deepti Sharma remained unbeaten on 6 with her captain and fittingly Mithali finished the game with a boundary. Earlier, Pandey and Goswami snapped four wickets each as they ripped apart the England batting line-up after their skipper Heather Knight chose to bat first. Pandey, who returned with her best figures in ODIs, surpassing her previous best of 4/34, and Jhulan kept a tight leash and were rewarded for it. The duo was well supported by spinner Poonam Yadav (2-28). Only Natalie Sciver (85), who hammered 12 fours and a six, put up a lone fight to take the score past 150. "My role was to give early breakthroughs and to stick to my plans, and I was happy to bowl in the right areas. I wanted to consistently do that and hope the batsmen make an error too," Goswami said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "When you're bowling in a Powerplay, then you need to have a second plan. Can't just use one stock ball, so was just trying to enjoy the bowling. As long as you're playing, nerves will always be there. It will always help you to do better," she added. Brief Scores: England Woman 161 all out (Natalie Sciver 85, Lauren Winfield 28, Shikha Pandey 4-18, Jhulan Goswami 4-30) lost to India Women 162/3 (Smriti Mandhana 63, Mithali Raj 47 not out, Anya Shrubsole 2-23, Georgia Elwiss 1-28) by seven wickets.

2nd Women's ODI: India defeat England by 7 wickets; seal series

<p>Mithali Raj Sunday came out in support of starting a women's version of the cash-rich Indian Premier League after having spoken against it earlier.</p>

<p>"I felt that (way) before the ODI World Cup. At that point of time the players' identity as individual players was not as big as the ODI World Cup where people started to understand what is Indian women's cricket and who all play for the team," said Mithali.</p>

<p>She was speaking on the eve of the second One-day International against world champions England.</p>

<p>"Now since a year or two people have gone beyond 2-3 players. They recognise other players in the squad and now is the right time to get in IPL because T20 is also a format that ICC is looking to promote in women's cricket," added Mithali.</p>

<p>In the women's 50-over World Cup, the Indian team made the final where they lost to England, generating a huge amount of interest in the country.</p>

<p>Mithali felt that there will be cascading effect on their game's structure with the introduction of women's IPL.</p>

<p>She spoke about the A tour concept to develop the women's game.</p>

<p>"We also have India A tour. I'm sure there is one in the near future. If we have more of that and we can give opportunity to the second string, not just playing versus the visiting teams, but also tours abroad to Australia or New Zealand. That exposure will help them immensely," she remarked.</p>

<p>"As far as IPL is concerned, if that can be a double-header, like how we had the T20Is in New Zealand, that will definitely garner more people to come and watch us play, and obviously televising it and marketing it will get a lot of people to follow it," she added.</p>

<p>The India women's ODI skipper also saw the plans to conduct U-19 and U-21 World Cups for women as an advantage.</p>

<p>"It will be important because every country is looking forward to getting more girls to play the sport. And if you have another World Cup, of say Under-19 or Under-21, it gives an opportunity for young girls to compete at that level because there's something to look forward to.</p>

<p>"Someone who's playing U-19, they have to straightaway aim for the senior level. That's a long shot. Very few are able to make it. For the rest who don't make it, at least they have another shot at playing or representing their country at the World Cup (at the juniors level)."</p>


Mithali Raj Sunday came out in support of starting a women's version of the cash-rich Indian Premier League after having spoken against it earlier. "I felt that (way) before the ODI World Cup.

Mithali Raj Sunday came out in support of starting a women's version of the cash-rich Indian Premier League after having spoken against it earlier. "I felt that (way) before the ODI World Cup. At that point of time the players' identity as individual players was not as big as the ODI World Cup where people started to understand what is Indian women's cricket and who all play for the team," said Mithali. She was speaking on the eve of the second One-day International against world champions England. "Now since a year or two people have gone beyond 2-3 players. They recognise other players in the squad and now is the right time to get in IPL because T20 is also a format that ICC is looking to promote in women's cricket," added Mithali. In the women's 50-over World Cup, the Indian team made the final where they lost to England, generating a huge amount of interest in the country. Mithali felt that there will be cascading effect on their game's structure with the introduction of women's IPL. She spoke about the A tour concept to develop the women's game. "We also have India A tour. I'm sure there is one in the near future. If we have more of that and we can give opportunity to the second string, not just playing versus the visiting teams, but also tours abroad to Australia or New Zealand. That exposure will help them immensely," she remarked. "As far as IPL is concerned, if that can be a double-header, like how we had the T20Is in New Zealand, that will definitely garner more people to come and watch us play, and obviously televising it and marketing it will get a lot of people to follow it," she added. The India women's ODI skipper also saw the plans to conduct U-19 and U-21 World Cups for women as an advantage. "It will be important because every country is looking forward to getting more girls to play the sport. And if you have another World Cup, of say Under-19 or Under-21, it gives an opportunity for young girls to compete at that level because there's something to look forward to. "Someone who's playing U-19, they have to straightaway aim for the senior level. That's a long shot. Very few are able to make it. For the rest who don't make it, at least they have another shot at playing or representing their country at the World Cup (at the juniors level)."

Mithali Raj backs women's IPL after World Cup performance

<p>India opener <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=Smriti+Mandhana">Smriti Mandhana</a> maintained her pole position while ODI skipper Mithali Raj remained fifth in the latest ICC ODI Players' Ranking issued on Monday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mandhana is leading the pack with 774 rating points ahead of Australia pair of Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning.&nbsp;</p>

<p>New Zealand's Amy Satterthwaite is placed fourth, just ahead of Raj.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The other Indians to feature in top 20 are Deepti Sharma, who jumped a place to 17th and Twenty20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur at 19th.&nbsp;</p>

<p>West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor has advanced two places and grabbed the eighth position among batters even as a number of players from Pakistan and South Africa have also moved up in the ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings after winning their respective ICC Women's Championship series.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Taylor led the list of run-getters with an aggregate of 158, including two fifties, in a 2-1 loss here that enabled Pakistan to overtake the West Indies in the points table of the eight-team championship. It provides direct qualification berths to hosts New Zealand and four other top teams in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021.&nbsp;</p>

<p>South Africa have kept in contention for a direct berth in the pinnacle event by completing a 3-0 triumph at home over Sri Lanka, a verdict that has helped them to catch up with the fifth-placed West Indies on 11 points, even though they remain behind on net run rate.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Pakistan's victory over the West Indies has lifted them to 12 points and they are now in the fourth position, just behind India on the net run rate in the list led by Australia with 16 points from only nine matches and New Zealand second at 14 points from 12.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Among bowlers, veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami is the best-placed Indian at the third spot behind Megan Schutt of Australia and Pakistan's Sana Mir, who is leading the pack.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav are two other Indian bowlers figuring at the top-10 at eighth and ninth positions respectively.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Deepti also features in the all-rounders' chart at a career-high third spot. Perry is at the pinnacle of the list followed by West Indies' Taylor.&nbsp;</p>

<p>No Indian woman has reached the top spot among all-rounders as all the former captains --- Goswami (in July 2015), Purnima Rau (December 2000) and Shubhangi Kulkarni (January 1986) have attained the second position.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The upcoming India-England series can be crucial in the final standings while defending champions Australia host second-placed New Zealand in another series that also starts on Saturday.</p>


India opener Smriti Mandhana maintained her pole position while ODI skipper Mithali Raj remained fifth in the latest ICC ODI Players' Ranking issued on Monday. Mandhana is leading the pack with 774 rating points ahead of Australia pair of Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning.

India opener Smriti Mandhana maintained her pole position while ODI skipper Mithali Raj remained fifth in the latest ICC ODI Players' Ranking issued on Monday. Mandhana is leading the pack with 774 rating points ahead of Australia pair of Ellyse Perry and Meg Lanning. New Zealand's Amy Satterthwaite is placed fourth, just ahead of Raj. The other Indians to feature in top 20 are Deepti Sharma, who jumped a place to 17th and Twenty20 skipper Harmanpreet Kaur at 19th. West Indies captain Stafanie Taylor has advanced two places and grabbed the eighth position among batters even as a number of players from Pakistan and South Africa have also moved up in the ICC Women's ODI Player Rankings after winning their respective ICC Women's Championship series. Taylor led the list of run-getters with an aggregate of 158, including two fifties, in a 2-1 loss here that enabled Pakistan to overtake the West Indies in the points table of the eight-team championship. It provides direct qualification berths to hosts New Zealand and four other top teams in the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021. South Africa have kept in contention for a direct berth in the pinnacle event by completing a 3-0 triumph at home over Sri Lanka, a verdict that has helped them to catch up with the fifth-placed West Indies on 11 points, even though they remain behind on net run rate. Pakistan's victory over the West Indies has lifted them to 12 points and they are now in the fourth position, just behind India on the net run rate in the list led by Australia with 16 points from only nine matches and New Zealand second at 14 points from 12. Among bowlers, veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami is the best-placed Indian at the third spot behind Megan Schutt of Australia and Pakistan's Sana Mir, who is leading the pack. Deepti Sharma and Poonam Yadav are two other Indian bowlers figuring at the top-10 at eighth and ninth positions respectively. Deepti also features in the all-rounders' chart at a career-high third spot. Perry is at the pinnacle of the list followed by West Indies' Taylor. No Indian woman has reached the top spot among all-rounders as all the former captains --- Goswami (in July 2015), Purnima Rau (December 2000) and Shubhangi Kulkarni (January 1986) have attained the second position. The upcoming India-England series can be crucial in the final standings while defending champions Australia host second-placed New Zealand in another series that also starts on Saturday.

ICC Women's Rankings: Smriti Mandhana maintains top spot

Anjum Chopra: 'Mithali Raj's role must be made clear'

<p>India Women cricket team is heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and even the bowlers have performed at par in the series against New Zealand’s White Ferns, ODI skipper Mithali Raj said on the eve of the three-match T20I series, beginning on February 6.</p>

<p>Spinners, who adapted to challenging conditions in the Kiwiland, helped the touring side clinch the ODI series by 2-1. Ekta Bisht (3, 32) (2, 14) (0, 29), Deepti Sharma (2, 27) (2, 51) (0, 19) and&nbsp;Poonam Yadav&nbsp;(3, 42) (2, 38) (1, 31) worked in tandem to run through the Kiwi batting in the three matches.</p>

<p>"It is good to see spinners bowling very well in the series because it is something lot of people have asked me earlier — how the spinners are going to be effective on this soil, in these conditions."&nbsp;</p>

<p>India definitely has heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and they have not disappointed in the series because when it came to the first two games, they controlled the middle overs and got those wickets for us," Mithali told ANI.</p>

<p>With the third game against White Ferns on February 1, Mithali became the first-ever woman cricketer to play 200 one-day internationals.</p>

<p>The 36-year-old, who has seen the hard difficult days when women's cricket was not given the due, considers herself fortunate and grateful to have come so far, saying, "I have never seen this coming when I first took up the bat but yes it has always been an honour and pride to represent the country for so many years and seeing women's cricket go through the transition."</p>

<p>"I have had made my debut under the WCI, now we are under the BCCI. Today where women cricketers are, I think young children can look up to them as role models. The standard in women’s game has improved vastly coming from say 150 to 200 to 300 total, it will only get better and better," she said.</p>

<p>"I am thankful to all those people who have had played an important part in shaping my career. I will continue to invest in those reasons or the factors that have kept me going all these years whether it is adapting to different conditions or situations and of course the responsibility of the team. I have seen highs and lows, which I believe is part of a long career," Mithali said.</p>

<p>India managed only one win when they last visited New Zealand in 2006, the first time the teams had ever played a bilateral ODI series in the Kiwiland. Now 13 years later, the only remaining players who can link to the tour of 2006 are India's two top cricketers Mithali&nbsp;and&nbsp;Jhulan Goswami.</p>

<p>Coming with a relatively new team and new setup, Mithali said, "Coming after 11 or 12 years a lot has changed over the years in terms of players, coming under the BCCI, under the ICC.</p>

<p>The number of matches which has increased has only helped players who kind of have a form can continue it and players who are in search of a form will always have more matches that they can always get back to."</p>

<p>The ODI skipper wanted to clean sweep the series by 3-0 as that would have put India Women at number two in the rankings. However, as the team still has two more series, Mithali is hopeful to gather more points.</p>

<p>India are slated to play three ODIs, part of ICC Women's Championship, and three T20Is against England.</p>

<p>The series will be hosted at the Wankhede Stadium&nbsp;in Mumbai on February 22, 25 and 28. The T20I series will be played at the&nbsp;Barsapara Cricket Stadium&nbsp;in Guwahati on March 4, 7 and 9.</p>

<p>"We are playing England at home, conditions will be favouring us. England are a good side, one of the top teams and they will give us a good fight. The Indian team is in a good form, momentum that we would love to carry in our home series."&nbsp;</p>

<p>India Women and Men will begin their T20I double-header series against New Zealand's White Ferns and Black Caps on February 6 at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.&nbsp;</p>


India Women cricket team is heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and even the bowlers have performed at par in the series against New Zealand’s White Ferns, ODI skipper Mithali Raj said on the eve of the three-match T20I series, beginning on February 6.

India Women cricket team is heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and even the bowlers have performed at par in the series against New Zealand’s White Ferns, ODI skipper Mithali Raj said on the eve of the three-match T20I series, beginning on February 6. Spinners, who adapted to challenging conditions in the Kiwiland, helped the touring side clinch the ODI series by 2-1. Ekta Bisht (3, 32) (2, 14) (0, 29), Deepti Sharma (2, 27) (2, 51) (0, 19) and Poonam Yadav (3, 42) (2, 38) (1, 31) worked in tandem to run through the Kiwi batting in the three matches. "It is good to see spinners bowling very well in the series because it is something lot of people have asked me earlier — how the spinners are going to be effective on this soil, in these conditions." India definitely has heavily depended on spinners in the middle overs and they have not disappointed in the series because when it came to the first two games, they controlled the middle overs and got those wickets for us," Mithali told ANI. With the third game against White Ferns on February 1, Mithali became the first-ever woman cricketer to play 200 one-day internationals. The 36-year-old, who has seen the hard difficult days when women's cricket was not given the due, considers herself fortunate and grateful to have come so far, saying, "I have never seen this coming when I first took up the bat but yes it has always been an honour and pride to represent the country for so many years and seeing women's cricket go through the transition." "I have had made my debut under the WCI, now we are under the BCCI. Today where women cricketers are, I think young children can look up to them as role models. The standard in women’s game has improved vastly coming from say 150 to 200 to 300 total, it will only get better and better," she said. "I am thankful to all those people who have had played an important part in shaping my career. I will continue to invest in those reasons or the factors that have kept me going all these years whether it is adapting to different conditions or situations and of course the responsibility of the team. I have seen highs and lows, which I believe is part of a long career," Mithali said. India managed only one win when they last visited New Zealand in 2006, the first time the teams had ever played a bilateral ODI series in the Kiwiland. Now 13 years later, the only remaining players who can link to the tour of 2006 are India's two top cricketers Mithali and Jhulan Goswami. Coming with a relatively new team and new setup, Mithali said, "Coming after 11 or 12 years a lot has changed over the years in terms of players, coming under the BCCI, under the ICC. The number of matches which has increased has only helped players who kind of have a form can continue it and players who are in search of a form will always have more matches that they can always get back to." The ODI skipper wanted to clean sweep the series by 3-0 as that would have put India Women at number two in the rankings. However, as the team still has two more series, Mithali is hopeful to gather more points. India are slated to play three ODIs, part of ICC Women's Championship, and three T20Is against England. The series will be hosted at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 22, 25 and 28. The T20I series will be played at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on March 4, 7 and 9. "We are playing England at home, conditions will be favouring us. England are a good side, one of the top teams and they will give us a good fight. The Indian team is in a good form, momentum that we would love to carry in our home series." India Women and Men will begin their T20I double-header series against New Zealand's White Ferns and Black Caps on February 6 at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Team is dependent on spinners, they control middle overs: Mithali Raj

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=Mithali+Raj">Mithali Raj</a>, captain of Indian women's cricket team has added another record to an already glittering career as she became the female cricketer to&nbsp;play 200 One-Day Internationals when she led her team out for the third ODI against New Zealand February 1.</p>

<p>Indian women's team have played 263 ODIs in their history. Raj has now featured in 200 of them.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Since her ODI debut in 1999, the team have played 213 matches in the format. She has been a part of all but 13 of them.</p>

<p>Raj is also the&nbsp;highest run-getter in ODIs with 6622 runs at an average of 51.33, including seven centuries.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">🙌 200 ODIS FOR MITHALI RAJ 🙌<br />
<br />
The India legend has added another feather to her cap during the third <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NZvIND?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NZvIND</a> ODI at Seddon Park.<br />
<br />
We take a look back through her landmark innings 👇<a href="https://t.co/PPLzYhxwCx">https://t.co/PPLzYhxwCx</a> <a href="https://t.co/2BayMT5wZh">pic.twitter.com/2BayMT5wZh</a></p>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1091165322151845893?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>Mithali could not make a big impact in her 200th game, scoring nine off 28 balls as India were bowled out for 149 in the third and final ODI against New Zealand.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She had hit an unbeaten 63 in the second ODI, helping India take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.&nbsp;</p>

<p>She has also played 10 Tests and 85 T20s.&nbsp;</p>


Mithali Raj, captain of Indian women's cricket team has added another record to an already glittering career as she became the female cricketer to play 200 One-Day Internationals when she led her team out for the third ODI against New Zealand February 1.

Mithali Raj, captain of Indian women's cricket team has added another record to an already glittering career as she became the female cricketer to play 200 One-Day Internationals when she led her team out for the third ODI against New Zealand February 1. Indian women's team have played 263 ODIs in their history. Raj has now featured in 200 of them. Since her ODI debut in 1999, the team have played 213 matches in the format. She has been a part of all but 13 of them. Raj is also the highest run-getter in ODIs with 6622 runs at an average of 51.33, including seven centuries. 🙌 200 ODIS FOR MITHALI RAJ 🙌 The India legend has added another feather to her cap during the third #NZvIND ODI at Seddon Park. We take a look back through her landmark innings 👇https://t.co/PPLzYhxwCx pic.twitter.com/2BayMT5wZh — ICC (@ICC) February 1, 2019 × Mithali could not make a big impact in her 200th game, scoring nine off 28 balls as India were bowled out for 149 in the third and final ODI against New Zealand. She had hit an unbeaten 63 in the second ODI, helping India take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. She has also played 10 Tests and 85 T20s.

Mithali Raj becomes first female to play 200 ODIs

<p>Back in 1999, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, Mithali Raj was simply happy wearing the India colours for the first time and not much changed even after two decades as the coveted <a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/mithali-raj-becomes-first-female-to-play-200-odis-194319">milestone of 200 ODIs</a> "is just a number" for the 36-year-old legend.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mithali made her ODI debut against England in Milton Keynes in January 1999 and on Friday became the first woman to complete in 200 matches in the 50-over format. Not to forget, she is the top run-getter in the world with 6622 runs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"200 is just a number for me but it feels nice to come so far," said India's ODI captain said after completing a maiden 2-1 series win on New Zealand soil.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I have seen different stages of (transformation) in women's cricket across the globe since I made by debut way back in 1999 under IWCC (International Women's Cricket Council).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Coming under ICC, we could see the difference. I am just happy to represent the country for so long," Mithali said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For Mithali, it is a surreal feeling that she could continue for so long at the top level.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">What's your favourite memory of <a href="https://twitter.com/M_Raj03?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@M_Raj03</a>'S ODI career? <a href="https://t.co/h7HGFJfWYv">pic.twitter.com/h7HGFJfWYv</a></p>
— ICC (@ICC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1091271077504999425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
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<p>"When I started, I didn't think that I will come so far. Initially, my aim was to only wear the India colours, be one of the core members of the team but never did I think that I will continue to play for so long," said Mithali as one could gauge the sense of satisfaction in her voice.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mithali has had her share of ups and downs including the very recent public difference of opinion with COA member Diana Edulji, whom she alleged was trying to finish her career along with former coach Ramesh Powar.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to Mithali, her only endeavour has been to suit her game as per team's needs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"When you have a long career, you have different elements and reasoning that comes into factor. But one thing has been to constantly thrive and change my game to suit different conditions, different areas of my game and trying to keep up with the international standards.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I have seen joys, highs and lows -- when you have a long career," she said, expressing her gratitude to everyone "who has made a difference" in her career.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On the areas that require improvement, Mithali wants a seam-bowling all-rounder in the side.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"When spinners are bowling, they need more support from fast bowlers. Obviously, Jhulan (Goswami) is very experienced but maybe we need an all-rounder in the playing XI can be useful on these tracks, so on a given day if spinners are not doing well, may be the all-rounder can do the job," she said.&nbsp;</p>


Back in 1999, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, Mithali Raj was simply happy wearing the India colours for the first time and not much changed even after two decades as the coveted milestone of 200 ODIs "is just a number" for the 36-year-old legend.

Back in 1999, a 16-year-old schoolgirl, Mithali Raj was simply happy wearing the India colours for the first time and not much changed even after two decades as the coveted milestone of 200 ODIs "is just a number" for the 36-year-old legend. Mithali made her ODI debut against England in Milton Keynes in January 1999 and on Friday became the first woman to complete in 200 matches in the 50-over format. Not to forget, she is the top run-getter in the world with 6622 runs. "200 is just a number for me but it feels nice to come so far," said India's ODI captain said after completing a maiden 2-1 series win on New Zealand soil. "I have seen different stages of (transformation) in women's cricket across the globe since I made by debut way back in 1999 under IWCC (International Women's Cricket Council). Coming under ICC, we could see the difference. I am just happy to represent the country for so long," Mithali said. For Mithali, it is a surreal feeling that she could continue for so long at the top level. What's your favourite memory of @M_Raj03'S ODI career? pic.twitter.com/h7HGFJfWYv — ICC (@ICC) February 1, 2019 × "When I started, I didn't think that I will come so far. Initially, my aim was to only wear the India colours, be one of the core members of the team but never did I think that I will continue to play for so long," said Mithali as one could gauge the sense of satisfaction in her voice. Mithali has had her share of ups and downs including the very recent public difference of opinion with COA member Diana Edulji, whom she alleged was trying to finish her career along with former coach Ramesh Powar. According to Mithali, her only endeavour has been to suit her game as per team's needs. "When you have a long career, you have different elements and reasoning that comes into factor. But one thing has been to constantly thrive and change my game to suit different conditions, different areas of my game and trying to keep up with the international standards. "I have seen joys, highs and lows -- when you have a long career," she said, expressing her gratitude to everyone "who has made a difference" in her career. On the areas that require improvement, Mithali wants a seam-bowling all-rounder in the side. "When spinners are bowling, they need more support from fast bowlers. Obviously, Jhulan (Goswami) is very experienced but maybe we need an all-rounder in the playing XI can be useful on these tracks, so on a given day if spinners are not doing well, may be the all-rounder can do the job," she said.

Mithali Raj on world record: 200 is just a number... it feels nice to come so far

<p>Gearing up for the New Zealand tour, Indian women's ODI captain <a href="http://www.wionews.com/search?q=Mithali+Raj">Mithali Raj</a> Saturday stressed on the need to bring the focus back on cricket after hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons following a controversial ending to their World T20 campaign.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mithali was in the news after falling out with Ramesh Powar, who was the coach of the team at the recently held women's World T20 in the Caribbean where she was dropped for the semi-final against England.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Their spat became public after both wrote to the BCCI and their respective letters got leaked.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the selectors have reposed their faith on Mithali who retained her place in the T20 squad and captaincy for next month's tour to New Zealand.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The way things panned out was obviously not in a very good taste. It affected everybody in a different level, in a different way," Mithali said during a promotional event here.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Now I am sure things are settled and we should give more spotlight on the sport, on the players and in the team."&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mithali said she and her family had to endure a lot of stress after her controversial ouster from the team.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I can only say that the last few days were very stressful for me and my parents. And also for people around me, especially the way it panned out," she said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It definitely did put women's cricket in the spotlight which was not needed. When you talk about non cricketing issues and not the team the focus goes away from the sport.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"Now that we have a tour (vs New Zealand), it's time that we move forward. Look forward and be more positive going forward."&nbsp;</p>

<p>The rift between T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and ODI captain Mithali was out in the open and the team was sharply divided into camps.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Asked if she would go along well with Harmanpreet, Mithali said: "We will see. When the 15 individual players come together with the support staff, it's a huge and big family.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"And usually in a family there will always be a difference of opinion. Everybody will not have the same kind of perspective. There will be issues and it does happen."&nbsp;</p>

<p>"These issues are secondary to us... Not even secondary these things do not even come in the list of priority. But when we take on the field, we are ambassadors of the sport. On the field, we are one unit, we come as a team. We are there to give our best and perform as a unit," she said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mithali said she is also looking forward to working with newly-appointed coach W V Raman.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"It's very early to comment on him. I had met him briefly at the National Cricket Academy. We have to support him and look forward to build a team."&nbsp;</p>

<p>India are scheduled to play five ODIs and three T20Is in the tour beginning on January 24.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"We last toured there in 2007. Only Jhulan and I from the current team were part of the last tour. For many in the team it will be a first tour. It will be challenging. We should give more importance on the preparation. The priority will be to getting the team together," she said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"The upcoming tour will be important. It's part of the ICC Championship one-dayers and there's a point system in place. It's important for India to garner as many points as it will help us in 2021 World Cup," Mithali said.</p>


Gearing up for the New Zealand tour, Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj Saturday stressed on the need to bring the focus back on cricket after hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons following a controversial ending to their World T20 campaign.

Gearing up for the New Zealand tour, Indian women's ODI captain Mithali Raj Saturday stressed on the need to bring the focus back on cricket after hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons following a controversial ending to their World T20 campaign. Mithali was in the news after falling out with Ramesh Powar, who was the coach of the team at the recently held women's World T20 in the Caribbean where she was dropped for the semi-final against England. Their spat became public after both wrote to the BCCI and their respective letters got leaked. But the selectors have reposed their faith on Mithali who retained her place in the T20 squad and captaincy for next month's tour to New Zealand. "The way things panned out was obviously not in a very good taste. It affected everybody in a different level, in a different way," Mithali said during a promotional event here. "Now I am sure things are settled and we should give more spotlight on the sport, on the players and in the team." Mithali said she and her family had to endure a lot of stress after her controversial ouster from the team. "I can only say that the last few days were very stressful for me and my parents. And also for people around me, especially the way it panned out," she said. "It definitely did put women's cricket in the spotlight which was not needed. When you talk about non cricketing issues and not the team the focus goes away from the sport. "Now that we have a tour (vs New Zealand), it's time that we move forward. Look forward and be more positive going forward." The rift between T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur and ODI captain Mithali was out in the open and the team was sharply divided into camps. Asked if she would go along well with Harmanpreet, Mithali said: "We will see. When the 15 individual players come together with the support staff, it's a huge and big family. "And usually in a family there will always be a difference of opinion. Everybody will not have the same kind of perspective. There will be issues and it does happen." "These issues are secondary to us... Not even secondary these things do not even come in the list of priority. But when we take on the field, we are ambassadors of the sport. On the field, we are one unit, we come as a team. We are there to give our best and perform as a unit," she said. Mithali said she is also looking forward to working with newly-appointed coach W V Raman. "It's very early to comment on him. I had met him briefly at the National Cricket Academy. We have to support him and look forward to build a team." India are scheduled to play five ODIs and three T20Is in the tour beginning on January 24. "We last toured there in 2007. Only Jhulan and I from the current team were part of the last tour. For many in the team it will be a first tour. It will be challenging. We should give more importance on the preparation. The priority will be to getting the team together," she said. "The upcoming tour will be important. It's part of the ICC Championship one-dayers and there's a point system in place. It's important for India to garner as many points as it will help us in 2021 World Cup," Mithali said.

Time to bring focus back on cricket, says Mithali Raj ahead of New Zealand tour

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