After overtaking Kohli, Mithali Raj says will continue scoring runs
Record-breaking veteran batswoman Mithali Raj is now the highest T20I scorer for India, comprising of both male and female players. On Thursday, Mithali struck a sublime fifty to help India women's team beat Ireland in the ongoing ICC Women's World T20 in Guyana. Indian eves qualified for the semi-finals after the victory. Raj went on to amass the tourney's second successive fifty.
Mithali added 67 runs for the first wicket with Smriti, but the side could not go on to post a massive total. They managed 145/6 in their innings, before the bowlers ably defended the score. Radha Yadav (3/25) led the show with some fine piece of bowling. India women's team restricted Ireland to 98/8, winning their third consecutive match in Women's World T20.
Mithali, who scored a crucial 51, seems confident of scoring more runs for India. "You are prepared for 2-3 shots for one delivery and you try and innovate your game to suit the format, you only need to clear the infield in the power-play to get boundaries and it's something I've worked on and I'm sure that I'll keep scoring runs for India."
The 35-year-old Mithali has 2,283 runs in T20Is for India. She is now the highest run-scorer in this format by an Indian player. In the men's team, Rohit Sharma (2,207) and Kohli (2,102) are the top scorers. Mithali has gone past the duo during the WT20 and could further widen the gap. She also has surpassed men's leading scorer Martin Guptill (2,271).
Despite going past the men in terms of T20I runs, Mithali is still the fourth highest T20I run-scorer when it comes to women's cricket. She is behinds Suzie Bates (2,961), Stafanie Taylor (2,691) and Charlotte Edwards (2,605).
The senior opening batswoman registered her 17th T20I half century. The star player managed to surpass Bates, Alyssa Healy (women's cricket) and Pakistan's Babar Azam (men's cricket), to have the most 50+ scores in a calendar year. India face Aussie women next and Mithali will be waiting to flex her muscles against the favorites in this crucial Group B encounter.
