India Versus Australia First ODI: Mithali Raj Completes 20,000 Career Runs,

Mithali Raj completes 20000 career runs: Indian ODI team captain Mithali Raj crossed yet another cricketing milestone on Tuesday, September 21, as she completed 20,000 career runs. Indian women's cricket team is playing its first ODI of the three-match series against Australia at Harrup Park in Mackay today. Raj scored a fifth consecutive fifty in the match to help her team set a target of 226 runs, losing eight wickets.

Batswoman Yastrika Bhatia was another top score for India, scoring 35 runs. Meanwhile, the Indian skipper made 61 runs off 107 balls, before Australian bowler Sophie Molineux claimed her wicket in the 38th over.

Meanwhile, Indian openers Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana failed to give India a solid start in Tuesday's match, with both openers scoring eight and 16 runs respectively. It was Bhatia and Raj's 77 runs partnership for the third wicket that saved the Indian batting order from collapsing further. After Raj and Bhatia lost their wickets, it was Richa Ghosh and Jhulan Goswami who pushed the scorecard for India to 225 by making 32 and 20 runs respectively.

Among the Australian bowlers, bowler Darcie Brown took four wickets in nine overs, giving away 33 runs. Bowlers Sophie Molineux and Hannah Darlin claimed two wickets each. The Australian team has gotten off to a solid start in the second half of the match, with Allyssa Healy losing her wicket to Poonam Yadav only after scoring 77 runs and Rachael Hynes still on the crease, having completed her half-century.

38-year-old Mithali Raj has set numerous records in an illustrious career spanning 22 years. She is the first Indian woman cricketer to have over 1,000 World Cup runs and fifth woman cricketer globally. She also holds the world record for most ODI runs.

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