'One of the main pillars of Women's Cricket' - Cricketing fraternity wishes legendary captain Mithali Raj as she turns 40

One of the pioneers of women’s cricket in India Mithali Raj turned 40 on Saturday, December 3. Meanwhile, it's her first birthday after she hung her boots as an international cricketer - a badge of honour that she had worn for the last 23 years.  

Mithali bid adieu to international cricket on June 8 this year which did not come as a shocker as she had already made up her mind that the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 was going to be her swansong at the highest level.

The Indian team blew hot and cold in the tournament before agonizingly bowing out in a must-win group encounter against South Africa where Deepti Sharma’s no-ball in the final over changed the entire complexion of the game.

Mithali Raj - The pioneer of women's cricket in India

A promising career that started in 1999 saw Raj rise through the ranks as time progressed and she succeeded in establishing herself a batting icon and a great leader.

It was under her leadership that the Indian women’s team made the finals of the 2005 and 2017 editions of the Women’s World Cup. She also went on to lead India in four of their seven Women’s Asia Cup triumphs.

The Jodhpur-born cricketer had announced her retirement from T20Is in 2019 to completely focus on the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup in New Zealand. Mithali Raj might have retired from international cricket, but has expressed her interest in participating in the inaugural edition of the Women’s IPL that is scheduled to be played in March 2023.

The veteran batter also did well as a commentator in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 down under and now it remains to be seen whether she plans on becoming a full-time broadcaster going forward or not.

Coming back to her illustrious international career, the former India skipper remains the only batter to have amassed over 10,500 runs in women’s cricket. She finished her career with 10,868 international runs. Raj scored 7805 runs in One Day Internationals, 2364 in T20Is, and, 699 in Tests respectively.

As Mithali Raj turned a year older, the members of the cricketing fraternity came forward to wish her a very ‘Happy Birthday.’

 Here are some of the reactions:

Happy Birthday Legend @M_Raj03
Wish you a bright , healthy and exciting future 🌟 #HappyBirthday #MithaliRaj pic.twitter.com/v0g0m9nptw

— Nooshin AL Khadeer (@NooshinKhadeer) December 3, 2022

Captain. Record Breaker. GOAT. 🙏

Wishing Mana Hyderabad's very own Mithali a great year ahead! 🧡#MithaliRaj pic.twitter.com/6z6fwtO10A

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) December 3, 2022

Wishing you a very happy birthday @M_Raj03. Keep inspiring and have a great year ahead! pic.twitter.com/lo6Y5Buaen

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) December 3, 2022

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 👑, happy birthday @M_Raj03 💜#AmiKKR pic.twitter.com/tbMktKbJUa

— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) December 3, 2022

Wishing the superstar who has inspired generations of women to take up cricket, one of the greatest W̶o̶m̶e̶n̶ cricketers, @M_Raj03, a very Happy Birthday!#PlayBold pic.twitter.com/1BCy9EkXMu

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) December 3, 2022

3⃣3⃣3⃣ international matches
1⃣0⃣8⃣6⃣8⃣ international runs
Most appearances in Women's ODIs 👍
Leading run-getter in Women's ODIs 🔝

Here's wishing @M_Raj03 - former #TeamIndia captain & one of the finest to have ever graced the game - a very happy birthday 👏 🎂 pic.twitter.com/HV2GtkJs4w

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) December 3, 2022

One of the main pillars of Women’s Cricket, the former Indian Captain has been an inspiration to many through her long and successful career. Wishing the legend @M_Raj03, a very Happy Birthday! pic.twitter.com/W9oSjJCa6b

— Jay Shah (@JayShah) December 3, 2022

Dil pe karte rahiye 𝐑𝐚𝐣 🙌#HappyBirthday, @M_Raj03 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ob87Ac8Dv2

— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) December 3, 2022

Wish you a very happy birthday Mithali @RajMithali , you will always remain one of my favourite cricketers 💐💐💪💪 pic.twitter.com/jo1ezyw58Q

— Sheldon Jackson (@ShelJackson27) December 3, 2022

Many happy returns of the day to the sensational @M_Raj03! Your life will inspire generations of young girls who would dare to dream big! pic.twitter.com/SSb1TxGWHL

— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) December 3, 2022

Happy birthday, @M_Raj03 ! You are and will always remain special to me. Have a great day and a great year ahead 🥰🫶🏻#HappyBirthdayMithaliRaj #Memories #IndianCricket pic.twitter.com/OTQrgi5hSg

— Jhulan Goswami (@JhulanG10) December 3, 2022