As the Indian women’s cricket team performed brilliantly in India A, defeating their Australian counterparts by 28 runs to take a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match T20 series on Wednesday, veteran Mithali Raj set a new record. With her unbeaten hundred, she slammed the highest score by an Indian woman in T20s. Mithali even surpassed Smriti Mandhana's record of 102 achieved in the Kia Super League earlier this year.
Mithali smashes Smriti's record
The veteran opened the innings along with Smriti Mandhana and scored an unbeaten 105-run knock, which came off just 61 balls. The right-handed batswoman recorded the highest score by an Indian woman in T20.
However, with Smriti failing with the bat, India A women slipped to 66/4. The pace then picked up with some sensational batting. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (57 off 33 balls) and Mithali were a perfectly balanced pair.
With the ICC Women's World T20 to start next month, the BCCI has launched an India A team consisting of several senior team players in order to gain valuable practice. Kaur helped India finish at 184/5.
READ: Mithali Raj To Write Her Memoir
Mithali the star
Mithali Raj is a powerful sporting icon who has become a household name, particularly after the team’s performance during 2017 Women’s World Cup in England.
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She has been the backbone of Indian women’s cricket. And has led the team to two World Cup finals. Mithali's batting performance has been India’s best till date. Arguably, she has put Indian women’s cricket on the centrestage.
Last month, the team performed brilliantly in the One-Day International series against Sri Lanka and Raj climbed up to spot no. 3 on the ICC batting rankings table. She moved four spots after her stellar performance in the three-match series, scoring 177 runs, including a 125 in the final outing as India won the series 2-1.