Veteran batter Mithali Raj on Sunday created history as she became the first woman cricketer to score 7,000 runs in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
Magnificent Mithali! #TeamIndia ODI skipper becomes the first woman cricketer to score 7⃣0⃣0⃣0⃣ ODI runs.
What a performer she has been! @M_Raj03 @Paytm #INDWvSAW pic.twitter.com/qDa6KZymlg
— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) March 14, 2021
The Indian women's cricket team captain reached the landmark during the fourth bilateral match against South Africa in Lucknow. The 38-year-old right-handed batsman began the day requiring 26 runs to get to the milestone. The Jodhpur-born cricketer was dismissed for 45 in the fourth ODI as she has now accumulated 7019 ODI runs from 213 matches, registering seven centuries and 54 fifties at a staggering average of 50.49.
Top 5 run-getter in Women's ODIs
| Player | Match | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Average | 100 | 50 |
| M Raj (IND-W) | 213 | 192 | 53 | 7019 | 125* | 50.49 | 7 | 54 |
| CM Edwards (ENG-W) | 191 | 180 | 23 | 5992 | 173* | 38.16 | 9 | 46 |
| BJ Clark (AUS-W) | 118 | 114 | 12 | 4844 | 229* | 47.49 | 5 | 30 |
| KL Rolton (AUS-W) | 141 | 132 | 32 | 4814 | 154* | 48.14 | 8 | 33 |
| SR Taylor (WI-W) | 126 | 123 | 15 | 4754 | 171 | 44.01 | 5 | 36 |
Mithali is currently well ahead of former England women’s cricket team skipper Charlotte Edwards in the women's ODI run-scorers list. Edwards had amassed 5,992 runs in ODIs in a career that spanned nearly two decades.
On Friday, Mithali also became the first woman cricketer from India and only the second overall to score 10000 international runs across formats of the game.
The right-handed batter is only behind Charlotte Edwards in terms of the overall leading run-scorer in women's international cricket. Edwards has scored 10207 runs from 309 matches with 67 half-centuries and 13 tons.
Interestingly, Mithali Raj also holds the record for being the most capped female cricketer in the history of the sport, having now played 311 international matches so far.
Feature image courtesy: Twitter/GautamGambhir
