Taunton: Mithali Raj smashed 55 runs in the 2nd ODI against England. This fifty by the Indian captain went in vain as India lost the match by 5 wickets. England chased down the score in less than 48 overs.
But this was Mithali's 14th 50-plus score in England which is more than the fifty-plus scores in England by Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma and even Virat Kohli - all of whom have 13 ODI 50s in England.
This is a special feat by Mithali Raj. So far, she has 7229 ODI runs against her name with a whopping average of 51.26 runs per innings. Raj debuted in 1999 against Ireland. She has been a household name, since then.
Mithali did not come out to the field due to neck pain and was replaced by vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur. England won the first ODI in Bristol by eight wickets. The third ODI will be played in Worcester on July 3 followed by a series of three T20 Internationals. The only Test played between the two teams was a draw.
The legendary cricketer has scored 2364 T20 International runs. "I love to receive congratulatory messages on my career," Mithali said during a press conference on the eve of the first ODI against England.
Mithali Raj scored 59 runs off 92 balls with the help of seven fours, while opener Shefali Verma contributed 44 runs off 55 balls. But the rest of the team's performance in the batting department was disappointing, and the team could only score 221 runs in 50 overs.
Will Mithali turn the tide and in the remaining matches for India? Only time will tell.