Mithili raj is now the second woman to score the 10000 runs in international cricket – Women International Cricket

Mithila Raj has become the first indian woman and second in all to have scored the 10000 runs. This is a proud moment for India that a woman from India is the first woman to reach this milestone.Mithila raj has been associated with the Indian cricket for a very long time. Raj has given some of the memorable performances in cricket and played a significant role in popularizing cricket among the Indian masses. 

Mithila Raj achieved this feat when she amassed 36 runs in the third ODI against South Africa on friday taking a flick shot off the delivery of Anne bosch.

Raj was just short of 26 runs when she was about to make another milestone of reaching 7000 runs in ODI before she was dismissed on the next ball. She will be looking forward to going past this record in the next match.

England’s Charlotte Edwards is second on the list to have scored 5992 runs. 

Coincidently, Charlotte is only the woman who has scored 10000 runs and she made a total of 10273 runs in a career stretching from 1996 to 2016.

Talking about the Mthila raj, Raj has had a long career. She made her debut in June 1999 in ODI against England. Raj has so far played 10 Tests, 212 ODIs and 89 T20Is. She now has 663 Test runs at an average of 51.00, 6974 ODI runs at 50.53, and 2364 T20I runs at 37.52. 

“When you play for so long, you obviously go through different milestones. And this is just one of them,” Raj said after the match. “I think the key for me has always been consistency. I’ve always believed in scoring runs each time I walk out to bat – whether it’s in domestic or internationals, it never mattered.

“As long as I get an opportunity to bat, it has to be counted, and that has given me a lot of experience and exposure to work on my game over the years, with the changing standards of women’s cricket and to stay relevant on the International circuit.”

Speaking to the media ahead of the third ODI, India opener Smriti Mandhana had reflected on the significance of Raj reaching the milestone.

“Getting to 10,000 runs first or second is a huge thing,” Mandhana said. “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.”