Mithali Raj overtakes Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni in T20Is

Mithali Raj has been one of the most classy cricketers India have ever produced. She has been a stalwart of the Women’s team for the last 16 years and her hunger to amass records hasn’t died down by any stretch of the imagination. She became the leading run-scorer in Women’s ODIs last year when she accomplished the feat versus Australia in the World Cup in England, leaving behind Charlotte Edwards.

She is currently playing in the Women’s Asia Cup in Malaysia and has already wielded magic with the bat. In the first match versus Malaysia, the veteran notched a masterful knock of 97 runs from 69 balls. She decimated the inexperienced team’s bowling lineup and batted throughout the innings. Following India’s 142-run victory, she was also declared as the Player of the Match.

Mithali’s incredible record

The 35-year old couldn’t contribute much with scores of 15 and 23 against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka respectively. Meanwhile, she became the first Indian to score 2000 T20I runs and is currently standing at 2015 runs in 74 matches at an average of 38.01. Moreover, the women prodigy has left behind the likes of Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni in the shortest format.

Virat is still 17 runs adrift from the milestone but has the chance to achieve the same in the upcoming two-match T20I series versus Ireland later his month, provided he plays. Dhoni is unlikely to reach the landmark as he needs 556 more runs. Raj is the seventh highest run-getter in Women’s T20Is and needs 590 runs to surpass Edwards, which seems a tad unlikely bearing in mind Mithali’s age of 35.

In the ongoing Asia Cup, India is placed at the top of the table with three wins from four matches. They lost their solitary match against Bangladesh yesterday at Kuala Lumpur. The Women in Blue will lock horns with Pakistan in their last group match. The Bismah Maroof-led team has also won three contests and Mithali’s role will be vital for India to roll their opponents over.

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