17th August, 2002: Teenager Mithali Raj Smashes Double Ton Against England

A 19-year-old Mithali Raj smashed 214 against England in the second Test at Taunton, which was also the highest score in Women’s cricket till Pakistan’s batsman Kiran Baloch broke the record in 2004. Raj herself had broken the record set by Karen Rolton back in the year 2001.

Batting first, England scored 329 runs and Raj’s double ton helped India reach 429. She was supported by skipper Anjum Chopra, who scored 52, Hemalata Kala scored 62 and Jhulan Goswami. who scored 62 as well and put on a 157-run stand with Raj for the seventh wicket. India were eventually dismissed for 467.

Other notable performances came from India spinner Neetu David, who bagged four wickets in the match.

What made the innings all the more special was the fact that this was only Raj’s third Test innings and it showed the kind of talent she possessed.

The most notable performance for England came from the bat of LK Newton, who scored 98 in the first innings of the match.

England declared at 198/6 in their second innings and the game ended in a draw. The two-match Test series ended 0-0.

As far as the first match of the series is concerned, the match ended without a ball being bowled.

In a career spanning 21 years, Mithali has played only 10 Tests and averages over 50. Whereas in ODIs, she has 209 matches to her name, and has scored 6888 runs, at an average of 50.64. Talking about T20Is, in 89 matches shes 2364 runs at an average of over 37.

She is widely regarded as the best women’s batter of all times.