This Padma Shri Winner Has Made India Proud Not Just Once Mithali Dorai Raj became the first cricket player to make 6,000 runs in WODIs in 2017

By Aashika Jain

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Entrepreneur India

The first captain to lead India to an ICC ODI World Cup final twice, Raj has set a precedent for women to choose their dreams over societal expectations. Regarded as one of the greatest cricketing batters, Raj believes in pursuing what she wants to do. The highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in ODIs, she won the Padma Shri in 2015 and is also the recipient of the Arjuna Award.

"There are few things in life you can achieve when you have to take decisions. I have taken a decision to pursue my career and struggled a lot, faced a lot of challenges. I don't just consider societal norms," Raj says. Her top three tips that can lead any woman to success include a lot of self-belief and self-confidence, being independent in one's thoughts and being strong mentally. Raj led India to ICC ODI World Cup win in 2005 and 2017. She also led the team to 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup finals, where they lost to Australia.

The year 2017 belonged to Raj. In February, she became the second player to make 5,500 runs in WODIs. In July, she became the first player to make 6,000 runs in WODIs. She led the Indian team to the Women's Cricket World Cup finals. The team lost to England by nine runs. In December, she was named as one of the players in the ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year.

This article was first published in the March issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)

Wavy Line
Aashika Jain

Entrepreneur Staff

Former Associate Editor, Entrepreneur India

Journalist in the making since 2006! My fastest fingers have worked for India's business news channel CNBC-TV18, global news wire Thomson Reuters, the digital arm of India’s biggest newspaper The Economic Times and Entrepreneur India as the Digital Head. 

Related Topics

News and Trends

RBI Asks Indian Banks To Prepare For the Future With AI and Blockchain

The Deputy Governor further adds that the future of banking will be shaped by the advancement in technology, leading to greater automation in business and processes, understanding the changing customer expectations, and being at par with the evolving regulatory scenarios.

Thought Leaders

What Entrepeneurs Could Learn From Trying to Write Poetry

Find a work rhythm that enhances productivity and pleasure.

News and Trends

Togai Raises $3.1 Million Seed Funding

The funds will be used for product development and expanding into new geographies

Growing a Business

How to Harness the Power of Data Analytics for Business Growth

To thrive in the competitive landscape, entrepreneurs must understand and leverage the power of data analytics.

News and Trends

Luxury Cars: Need For Speed In Tier II, Tier III Cities

Companies such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lexus, Lamborghini and others see potential in emerging markets of Tier II and Tier III cities. Ludhiana, Udaipur, Kanpur, Mysore, among others, where there are high numbers of NRIs and HNIs have seen high penetration of luxury cars