Mithali Raj is the greatest in women’s cricket. One of the most decorated women batter to play for the Indian national cricket team, the right-handed batter has inspired many young and budding cricketers, globally. In her two-decade-long career, Mithali had achieved plenty of accolades and registered records at will.

On her 39th birthday, let us look at some of the records she achieved while playing cricket at the international level.

– At the age of 16 years and 205 days, Mithali hit an unbeaten 114 on her ODI debut. This made her the youngest cricketer to score a century in the 50-over format.

– While doing so, she also made the record of scoring an ODI century on her debut. She shares the same with Derryth Lynne Thomas, Enid Bakewell, Reshma Gandhi, Nicole Elizabeth Bolton and Mary-Anne Musonda.

– At 22, she became the third-youngest captain in the women’s game. She was appointed India’s Test captain.

– Mithali has scored 7,391 runs in ODIs, the most by any in women’s cricket.

– At 19 years and 254 days, she became the youngest player to smash a double ton in Tests.

– The right-handed batter also holds the record for most catches (3) in a single innings in women’s Test matches.

– She also has played the most matches as captain in ODIs, 143.

– Mithali, known for her calm demeanour, also has an unwanted record of getting dismissed in the 90s (5 times) for the most number of times.

The first woman cricketer to be conferred with the prestigious Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, Mithali Raj said that she hopes that her achievements would inspire the country’s young girls to pursue their dreams and be the catalysts for change.

“Women in sport are powerful catalysts of change and when they get the appreciation they deserve, it inspires change in several other women wanting to achieve their dreams,” she said in a Twitter post.