Mithali Raj is an Indian cricketer and the captain of the Indian Women’s cricket team in Tests and ODI. She is a pioneer of female leadership and representation in sport.​ She was born in Jodhpur. She started to play the game at the age of 10 and at the age of 17.

She started cricket coaching in her school days along with her elder brother. Mithali practised in Keyes Girls High School, Secunderabad often playing male cricketers in the nets. She has practiced classical dance for eight years and she quit dance to pursue her cricket career.

Mithali Raj has played both Test and One Day International cricket for India’s women’s cricket team. She was named among the probable’s in the 1997 Women’s Cricket World Cup when she was just 14, but couldn’t make it to the final squad. She made her One Day International debut in 1999 against Ireland at Milton Keynes and scored unbeaten 114 runs.

Mithali Raj made her Test debut in the 2001-02 season against South Africa at Lucknow. On 17 August 2002, at the age of 19, in her third Test, she broke Karen Rolton’s record of world’s highest individual Test score of 209*, scoring a new high of 214 against England in the second and final Test at County Ground, Taunton. The record has since been surpassed by Kiran Baluch of Pakistan who scored 242 against West Indies in March 2004.

Mithali has been a successful Captain and led the Indian women cricket team to reach the Final of the 2005 World Cup. Mithali continued her captaincy and led India to a third place finish in the following 2009 Women’s World Cup.

With almost two decades at the International circuit, the Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee has been the face of Indian Women Cricket throughout its transformation. Mithali has an average of 51, 50 and 38 in Tests, ODIs and T20s respectively and is only the 2nd Cricketer to surpass 5000 Runs in ODIs and first Indian women to do so.

She is the Sachin of Women’s Cricket. But It’s Time We Just Call Her Mithali Raj.