Veteran female cricketer Mithali Raj announced her retirement from international cricket on Wednesday.

Mithali has contributed significantly to the sport. She is the first and only female Indian cricketer to make seven consecutive centuries in ODIs and the only player to captain two ICC ODI World Cup finals. Recently the 39-year-old took to Twitter to announce her retirement from international cricket. 

“Thank you for all your love and support over the years! I look forward to my second innings with your blessing and support,” read the tweet. 

The tweet has gathered more than 77.7K likes and 3000+ comments in just a few hours.

Also read: India legend Mithali Raj announces retirement from international cricket

Mithali had to struggle many years to achieve the success she has today. Here are some facts about Mithali’s family and childhood.

Mithali hails from a Tamil family in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Her father Dorai Raj was an airman (warrant officer) in the Indian Air Force. Her mother’s name is Leela Raj and she also has an elder brother Mithun Raj.

Mithali completed her education from Keyes High School, Hyderabad, and went to Kasturba Gandhi Junior College for her intermediate studies. She took cricket coaching classes during her school days along with her  brother and started playing cricket at the age of 10.

Mithali Raj was introduced to cricket by her parents as a means to make her active and disciplined as she was lazy and enjoyed sleeping. “From the beginning I played cricket only to make my parents happy,” she told the BCCI in an interview.

Aso read: Indian cricket moving on from Mithali, Jhulan ? Duo out of T20 Challenge

Coach Jyoti Prasad recognized Mithali’s cricket skills and advised her father to concentrate on his daughter rather than his son. Whether it was her first match outside her hometown in Jalandhar or travelling across the country for her junior and sub-junior matches, Mithali’s parents stood by her at every stage. Her mother Leela Raj resigned from work to take care of Mithali. Once when Mithali’s coach told her that she should never travel by public transport, Mithali’s mother decided to drive her daughter on a two-wheeler to practice.