Four Indian Women cricketers who can also make it to the men’s team

Over the years, the standards of Indian cricket have touched new highs in the world. People have witnessed the finest of bowlers and batsmen coming up and making it big at the international level. In the same light, the Indian national cricket team is also seen as one of the heavyweights in the contemporary world. What remains more fascinating is the fact that the Indian women’s cricket team has also started setting new benchmarks in the world.

Some great batters and bowlers have developed in the women’s cricket team too. Their records are so impressive that they can fit easily in place of their male counterparts. Let’s look at those four Indian women cricketers.

Mithali Raj

Regarded as India’s greatest batswoman, Mithali Raj is the skipper of the Indian women’s cricket team in ODIs. Raj is the highest run-scorer in women’s international cricket, and the only female cricketer to have breached the 6000-run mark. In 10 WTests, she has 663 runs, and in 209 WODI, she has 6888 runs to her credit. She is the only woman cricketer who has led India into two ICC ODI World Cup finals.

She has been honoured with Arjuna Award (in 2003) and Padma Shri (in 2015) by the government of India. She can definitely give competition to her male counterparts in the Indian team.

Smriti Mandhana

90 runs
72 balls
11 fours
2 sixes

What a start to #WWC17 it was for ?? opener @mandhana_smriti ?#WWC17Flashback pic.twitter.com/H0Sac3gjeO

— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) August 2, 2017

Named as the Best Women’s International Cricketer in 2018 by BCCI, Mandhana has earned herself a great place in Indian women’s cricket team. Playing 51 WODIs so far, she has 2025 runs to her name and has 1716 runs in T20Is. In 2016, she was signed by Brisbane Heat for Women’s Big Bash League, and along with Harmanpreet Kaur, she became one of the first two Indians to be signed up for the same. In 2018, she was also named as ICC ODI player of the year. She can definitely be a tough competition for her male colleagues.

Harmanpreet Kaur

The great all-rounder of the women’s cricket team, Kaur was honoured with the prestigious Arjuna Award in the year 2017 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. In 2018, she became the first Indian woman to hit a century in Women’s T20I and achieved another milestone the same year by becoming the first Indian cricketer to have played 100 T20I games. In her 99 WODIs, she has 2372 and 23 scalps to her credit, whereas, in 113 WT20Is, she has 2182 runs and 29 wickets to her credit. She was named as India’s T20I skipper in 2018 and can find a place in the men’s team based on her performance.

Jhulan Goswami

Regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in the history of women’s cricket, Goswami has achieved many accolades in her career.  She is the leading wicket-taker in women’s ODI cricket and became the first cricketer to name dismissals in her account in WODIs. She is also known for her capacities with the bat but has developed herself largely into one of the dangerous bowlers in women’s cricket. She has 225 wickets in WODIs and 56 wickets in T20Is to her credit. She was honoured with Arjuna Award in 2010 and Padma Shri in 2015.

On Jhulan Goswami’s birthday, take a look back at the tale that warmed hearts around the world during #WWC17. A true #SpiritofCricket story. pic.twitter.com/6n5R6XUZYE

— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) November 25, 2017