New Delhi: Former India limited overs skipper Mithali Raj called time Tuesday on her illustrious T20 International career to focus on ODIs keeping in mind the 50 overs World Cup in 2021.
The 36-year-old senior opener has captained the country in 32 T20Is, including the three women’s WT20 World Cups in 2012 (Sri Lanka), 2014 (Bangladesh) and 2016 (India).
“After representing India in T20 internationals since 2006, I wish to retire from T20Is to focus my energies on readying myself for the 2021 One-Day World Cup,” said Mithali Raj in a release issued by BCCI. It should be stated here that Mithali Raj had captained the Indian women’s first-ever T20I played in Derbyshire, England way back in 2006.
Mithali Raj ended her T20I career as India’s top-scorer in the format with 2,364 runs from 89 matches at an average of 37.5 and a highest score of 97 not out. She made her T20I debut in 1999 and played her last match in March against England in Guwahati. She is also the first Indian woman to reach the landmark of 2000 runs in T20 internationals.
“It remains my dream to win a 50-over World Cup for my country and I want to give it my best. I thank the BCCI for their continuous support and wish the Indian T20 team good luck as they prepare for the home series against South Africa Women,” Mithali added.
Mithali has also played in 203 ODIs and scored 6,720 runs at an average of 51.29 with seven hundreds. She has also played in 10 Tests scoring 663 runs and one hundred.
PTI