Cricket is a religious and cultural celebration in India. Unfortunately, everyone applauds the men’s cricketer’s achievement.
However, our female cricketers are equally skilled and are always willing to go the extra mile for the sake of our country’s prestige. Here are the 10 best Indian women cricketers of all time.
1. Mithali Raj
Mithali Raj is a cricket legend in India. She made her debut for the national team in 1999 and featured in over 300 matches.
Raj was a talented batter who scored more than 10,000 runs in her career. She also served as captain of the Indian women’s team, and her leadership was critical to the team’s triumph.
Raj began playing cricket at the age of 10 and made her international debut in 1999 at the age of 16. She swiftly rose through the ranks of the Indian squad and was named captain in 2004.
In 2019, she became the first player in women’s international cricket history to score 7,000 runs. In 2015, Raj was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian honour.
Raj retired from all forms of international cricket in 2022. She is an encouragement to all girls who want to play the sport.
2. Jhulan Goswami
Jhulan Goswami is largely recognised as one of the greatest female cricketers in Indian history. She made her international team debut in 2002 and participated in over 250 matches.
Goswami was a dynamic bowler capable of both pace and spin. She was also an effective batter, and her versatility made her a vital component of the team.
Jhulan has over 350 international wickets and is regarded as one of the fastest female bowlers of all time.
3. Harmanpreet Kaur
Harmanpreet Kaur is a recent addition to the Indian women’s cricket team, but she has already made an impression. She made her national team debut in 2009 and has since featured in over 250 matches.
Kaur is a powerful batter with the ability to knock massive sixes. She is also a capable bowler, and her versatility has earned her a spot in the squad. Kaur is the current captain of the Indian women’s team across all formats.
4. Anjum Chopra
Anjum Chopra is a former cricketer from India. She represented India in 12 Tests, 127 ODIs, and 18 T20Is. She became India’s first woman cricketer to play 100 ODIs.
Chopra made her Test debut in 1995, scoring 27 runs in the first inning against England. Her last Test match was against England in November 2006. She smashed her first and only ODI century against Sri Lanka in July 2005.
In 2012, she declared her retirement from international cricket. Chopra currently works as a television commentator and cricket analyst since retiring from the game.
5. Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana made her debut for the Indian national team in 2013 and has since played a significant role in the team’s triumphs. A left-handed batter, Mandhana is recognised for her aggressive batting style and ability to score runs rapidly.
She has represented India in all three formats and was a member of the Indian team that played in the 2017 Women’s Cricket World Cup final.
Mandhana made her first-class debut for Maharashtra in 2013 and her List-A debut for the state later that year. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) named her the Best Woman Cricketer of the Year in 2014.
Also Read | What is the ICC Women’s Championship?
6. Neetu David
Neetu David is a former Indian cricketer who played in Test and ODI matches for his country. She was an all-rounder who batted right-handed and bowled left-arm off-spin.
David made her Test debut against New Zealand in 1995 and played her final Test match against Australia 11 years later. In the meantime, she appeared in 25 Test matches, taking 41 wickets at an average of 18.90.
David’s ODI debut also came a couple of days after her Test debut. She picked up 141 wickets in 97 matches, and Neetu became the first Indian woman bowler to take 100 ODI wickets.
7. Jemimah Rodrigues
Jemimah Rodrigues is a cricketer from India. She is a skilled, hardworking young cricketer. She received the Jagmohan Dalmiya Award for Best Domestic Junior Women’s Cricketer from the BCCI in June 2018.
When she hit an undefeated 202 for Mumbai against Saurashtra in 2017, she became only the second Indian woman to reach a double century in ODI cricket. She was also named Best Woman Cricketer (Jr. Domestic) at the BCCI Awards for the 2017-18 season.
One unique detail about her life is that, in addition to cricket, she is an excellent hockey player who has represented Maharashtra in the sport.
8. Shikha Pandey
Shikha Pandey is a right-arm medium-fast bowler for the Indian national team. In March 2014, she made her T20I debut against Bangladesh. Later that year, she made her Test and ODI debuts against England.
She competed in the 2018 ICC Women’s World Twenty20 as well as the 2022 ICC Women’s World Cup.
Pandey has played over 50 ODIs and 60 T20Is for India. She has also represented Goa’s women’s team in domestic tournaments.
9. Shafali Verma
Shafali Verma, like Virender Sehwag, is an attacking opening batter who carries on his legacy in cricket. While batting, she has an extremely high strike rate.
At the age of 15, she became India’s youngest cricketer to play in a women’s T20I match. Due to the lack of a girls’ cricket academy in her hometown, she had to disguise herself as a boy in order to attend training at the boys’ academy.
10. Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma is an international cricketer for the Indian women’s national team and the pride of Uttar Pradesh. She bats left-handed and bowls right-arm off-break as an all-rounder.
She made her international debut for India in 2014. She smashed 188 runs against Ireland in Potchefstroom, which is the third-highest total in women’s ODIs. This is also the second-highest maiden hundred in women’s ODIs.
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