Women’s Day Special- India’s top 5 women cricketers of all time

The Indian Women’s cricket team have come up with a lot of memorable performances in the past few years. While the Women in Blue have been showcasing consistent performances they also have a lot of gifted players who have inspired many girls to take up the sport and follow their passion.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day (8th March), here’s a look at five of those eminent personalities who have made significant contributions to the Indian women’s cricket team in their illustrious careers.

Mithali Raj

Mithali Raj needs no introduction. She is the pioneer of women’s cricket having made a tremendous impact in her successful 23-year international career dating back to 1999.  Currently, Mithali is featuring in her record sixth ICC Women’s World Cup. The current India skipper holds a few records to her name including the most number of WODI half-centuries (62), first-ever Indian player to score 2,000 T20I runs, the first player to cross 7,000 runs in Women’s 50-overs format.

Jhulan Goswami

Jhulan Goswami has been the Indian eves’ pace spearhead for a long time but more importantly, she has been their most reliable overseas bowler. After falling short at the final hurdle in the 2005 and 2017 editions, the tall fast bowler would now be aiming to hold the trophy aloft with her teammates this time around as the quadrennial even could be her swansong.

Anjum Chopra

Anjum Chopra is another inspirational figure in Indian women’s cricket who made a name for herself during her playing days. She was the highest run-scorer in the 2000 edition of the Women’s World Cup amassing 267 runs as the Indian eves finished as the semifinalists. Post her retirement in 2006, she works as a broadcaster and a cricket pundit.

Harmanpreet Kaur

Harmanpreet Kaur is a power-hitter who can win matches single-handedly on her day. She currently leads the Indian eves in the T20I format and under her captaincy, the Women In Blue had made their maiden final appearance in the ICC T20 World Cup where they lost to Australia in front of a packed MCG crowd. She scored a quickfire 171 in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, which is a knockout record in both Indian men’s/women’s cricket combined.

Smriti Mandhana

Smriti Mandhana has been on a roll from the 2017 Women’s World Cup that made her an overnight star as India made the finals. The elegant southpaw was the sole Indian to feature in the ICC Women’s T20I Team of the Year after scoring two half-centuries from nine matches. She was also India’s highest scorer in the longest format in 2021 having amassed 255 runs averaging 31.87 at a strike rate of 131.44.