22 years on since Mithali Raj international debut, she admitted that when she first stepped onto the field, the burden was so heavy that she didn’t realize the importance of donning the India blue and representing the country.
“Feels nice to get up to messages congratulating me on my career. If I have to give a message to a 16-year-old: I would say enjoy getting on to the ground, first time representing your country, which clearly at that time…
The expectation was so heavy on my shoulders that I didn’t get the opportunity to understand the importance of wearing the blue jersey and playing for the country, that is something I would say to the 16-year-old Mithali,”
she said in the pre-match press conference ahead of the ODI series in Bristol.
Her debut was a one-off ODI game against Ireland Women, and she smashed a ton on debut. Wicket-keeper bat Reshma Gandhi also made her debut and scored a ton. While Gandhi played just one more ODI apart from that, Raj has created a legacy for herself.
Raj has featured in 11 Test matches, 214 ODIs and 89 T20Is in these 16 years. Moreover, she has been leading India since 2004. She has captained the ‘Women in Blue’ in seven Test matches, 137 ODIs and 32 T20Is in her career so far. She is at the top of the all-time run charts in ODI cricket and has amassed 7098 runs at an average of 51.06, including seven hundreds and 55 half-centuries.
The first ODI against England is scheduled to take place at the County Ground in Bristol on the 27th of June.
