Mithali Raj And Ravi Kalpana To Have Areas Named After Them At The Vizag Stadium

Mithali Raj And Ravi Kalpana To Have Areas Named After Them At The Vizag Stadium

In a historic first time for women’s cricket in India, the Andhra Cricket Association announced that two stands at the Vizag stadium will be named after Mithali Raj and Raavi Kalpana.

Mithali Raj, the former captain of the Indian women's team, and wicketkeeper-batter Ravi Kalpana will have a stand named in their honour at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The stands will be revealed on October 12, just before India's women's ODI World Cup game against Australia.

The decision came out after Smriti Mandhana discussed the breaking boundaries chat in August with the Andhra Pradesh minister and suggested this.

"The ACA's tribute to Mithali Raj and Ravi Kalpana shows a strong dedication to honouring the pioneers who have changed women's cricket in India and who inspire the next generation to aim higher," the ACA stated.

"Smriti Mandhana's wise suggestion resonated with the public," Minister Lokesh said. "Turning that idea into action shows our united effort toward achieving gender equality and recognising the pioneers of women's cricket."

Mithali Raj, a former captain of the Indian women's cricket team, is celebrated for her remarkable record as the all-time leading run-scorer in women's One Day Internationals (ODIs). She accumulated an impressive 7,805 runs over 232 ODIs, maintaining an average of 50.68 and achieving seven centuries along the way.

In addition to her ODI feats, Raj scored 2,364 runs in 89 T20 Internationals with 17 fifties at an average of 37.52. In the Test format, she tallied 699 runs in 19 innings, averaging 43.68, with a personal best score of 214, the highest by any Indian player in Tests. After an illustrious career spanning 23 years, she announced her retirement from all formats of the game in 2022.

Ravi Kalpana, on the other hand, represented India in seven ODIs from 2015 to 2016. Her journey to the national team has been a source of inspiration for many cricketers from her region, such as Arundhati Reddy, S Meghana, and N Shree Charani.