Top 5 knocks of Mithali Raj’s T20I career

India’s iconic woman cricketer and former captain Mithali Raj recently called time on her T20I career to focus on ODI cricket. Hailed as one of the modern-day batting greats, Raj had a glorious run in the shortest format of the game. She made her T20I debut against England in 2006 and went to play for 13 long years. In her final T20I appearance this year, the 36-year-old signed off with a 30-ball 32 in typical fashion against England.

I thank all of you for the love and support you have given me throughout my T/20 career ??. Onto the ODI’s now! #onwardsandupwards #lotstolookforwardto #gratitude

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) September 4, 2019

With 2364 runs in 89 matches, Raj is the leading woman run-scorer for India in T20I cricket. She also has 17 half-centuries to her name, including a career-best score of 97*. Throughout her career, the dashing batswoman played a huge role in shaping Indian women’s cricket with her match-winning knocks.

Let’s take a look at the five best innings of Mithali Raj’s T20I career:

51* vs Australia, Sydney (2008)

The Indian men’s cricket team had just won the inaugural World T20 in 2007. This was an era that was rapidly witnessing the advent of T20 cricket around the world. India Women were playing against Australia Women in Sydney, where the visitors needed 143 runs to win. India didn’t get off to the best of starts, leaving Raj stranded at one end. Her unbeaten 51 was a desperate attempt to get the team over the line, only to fall short by 1 run in the end. But it was an innings that gave the cricketing world a glimpse of her special talent.

57 vs England, Sylhet, Bangladesh (2014)

Leading from the front in the 2014 Women’s World T20, Mithali scored a gritty 57 opening the innings against England Women. The Indian batting order fell like ninepins, but she continued to dig in and kept the scoreboard ticking. Despite her best effort, England chased down a petty 95 quite comfortably.

73* vs Pakistan, Bangkok (2016)

India opted to bat first in the all-important Asia Cup final of 2016 against Pakistan. Once again, the responsibility fell on Mithali’s shoulders. Her unbeaten 65-ball 73 with practically no help from the rest of the team helped India put up a decent total of 121 on the board. Later, the bowlers successfully defended the target and India clinched the Asia Cup for the sixth time.

76* vs South Africa, East London (2018)

The start of 2018 was special for Mithali, who would go on to score seven half-centuries later that year. It started with two consecutive unbeaten fifties in three days against South Africa Women. The second one, a blazing 76 off 61 balls was part of her 100-run opening partnership with fellow teammate Smriti Mandhana. While Mandhana departed after her fiery fifty, Mithali remained unbeaten to help India chase down 143 in 19.1 overs.

97* vs Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur (2018)

Mithali’s career-best knock came in the 2018 Asia Cup fixture against Malaysia. Despite a slow start, she managed to notch her fifty in just 39 deliveries. With able support from Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma, she raced away to an unbeaten 97 in the next 20. Once again, India emerged winners, beating Malaysia by 142 runs.