Mithali Raj becomes first-ever woman cricketer to feature in 6 ODI World Cups

Indian captain Mithali Raj became the first female cricketer to feature in six different editions of the ICC World Cup. She achieved this feat when she stepped out to lead the team in India's World Cup opener against Pakistan on March 6 at Mount Maunganui.

The 39-year-old cricketer has now equalled the record held by Sachin Tendulkar and Javed Miandad as the only two cricketers to have played in six different World Cups.

Mithali's debut at the World Cup happened in 2000. She went on to represent the country in 2005, 2009, 2013, 2017 and 2022. India's ace pacer Jhulan Goswami is second on that list, having featured in five different World Cups.

Raj led India to the finals of the 2017 World Cup, where they lost to England in a thrilling encounter.

Electing to bat first, India lost Shafali Verma in the third over. Smirti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma steadied the ship with a 92-run stand for the second wicket. Mandhana continued her good form by hitting yet another half-century. She has now reached the 2500-run milestone in ODI cricket.

However, Pakistan struck quickly afterwards to claim five Indian wickets. Mithali Raj added to the pressure by consuming a lot of deliveries. India were reduced to 114/6 after 34 overs as Raj departed for a 36-ball innings, scoring only nine runs.

Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar put together a rescue act for the Women in Blue. They started off slow but soon found their rhythm in the middle. Both batters hit half-centuries as Rana stayed till the end to ensure India reached 244/7 after their 50 overs.

Pakistan has never scored more than 200 against India. They will have to break their scoring record to beat India in the World Cup opener.