Mithali Raj Creates History!

“She believed she could. So she did” – R.S. Grey

Yesterday, many miles away from India, in Bristol, a 34 year old woman, created history, during India’s sixth World Cup match against Australia. Mithali Raj, captain of Indian Women Cricket Team, notched up yet another milestone, of being the first woman to reach 6000 runs in ODI cricket. With her 6028 runs, she has now surpassed Charlotte Edwards of England.

Playing professional cricket since 1999, Mithali Raj also has the distinction of being scoring the most consecutive fifties (7), and is the winner of the prestigious Arjuna Award (2005), and the Padma Shri (2015).

That the achievement was validated by sportspersons across social media, is proof of its magnitude.

 

Despite this achievement, which puts her down in history, it is sad that she is called the ‘Tendulkar’ of women’s cricket. Why is it that a sportswoman must be associated with a sportsman, to gain credibility? Her achievements are her own, and it is high time that the country acknowledges that, and gives her the credit she deserves.

Gender equality is a utopian concept, in not just our country, but across the world. At Centre for Social Research, we are of the firm belief that engaging women in sports is an extremely constructive way to empower them. Our ongoing project with the Australian Embassy, which aims to bring more girls into various sports, is our attempt to put this belief into practice. Sports is a great leveller, and a fantastic way to counter patriarchy and misogyny.

Our women’s team has performed extraordinarily well during this World Cup so far, and is standing at number four in the points table. We’re extremely proud of all their achievements so far, and look forward to following their careers, and cheering them on in future series. But for now, a special congratulations to Mithali Raj for this extraordinary achievement!