Harmanpreet Kaur L, Jhulan Goswami M and Mithali Raj. Picture Credit: Twitter/@ICC
In 1978, the India Women played their first ODI game. By that time, men's one-dayers were already at the peak. Given the amount of attraction men's cricket was fetching, many hardly believed that the women's cricket would be able to compete with them. However, against all odds, the women's cricket, especially the ODIs, too flourished with the passage of time and here we are exactly after 15,771 days assessing its growth. And what better the evaluation could be than discussing about the Indian women who have played record one-dayers at the highest level so far. We will start with the new entrant in the list and will then look towards the other Indian women who have played 100 or more ODIs for the side.
Harmanpreet Kaur (100* ODIs)
The swashbuckling batter marked herself as one of the rare Indian women to have played 100 ODIs for the nation. She achieved the feat after making appearance in the first ODI against South Africa Women on Sunday. Harmanpreet is among the one of the most destructive batters the women’s game has ever seen. She is termed as "game-changer" given her quality of batting. The attacking batswoman also leads the Women in Blue in the T20I format.
Mithali Raj (210* ODIs)
Captain of India women's ODI team, Mithali Raj is arguably the best batswoman world has ever seen. Notably, she is top on the list of women players who have played most ODI games. With the first ODI against South Africa, she extends her record to 210 matches.
Mithali sits at the helm of affairs when it comes to the run scored in women's ODIs. She has 6888 runs to her name. The only player who is even a bit close to her record is Charlotte Edwards of England. Edwards, who is 896 runs behind Mithali on the list, has already retired from international cricket in 2016.
Jhulan Goswami (183* ODIs)
Legendary India pacer Jhulan Goswami is one of the finest and most successful woman pacers India has ever produced. She plays her 183rd ODI with the ongoing first game against South Africa. Jhulan is the undisputed queen of women's bowling when it comes to the one-dayers. She has taken 225 wickets in the format so far, the most by any women player, and her quest to better her stats continues with her never-ceasing determination and grit.
Anjum Chopra (127 ODIs)
Another big name on the list is Anjum Chopra, one of the most classy batswomen and sweet timers of the ball. It is worth noting that Anjum is the first India batswoman to have played 100 ODIs and to score a century in the format. Touted as one of the most successful Indian captains in the women's category, Anjum was awarded Padma Shree in 2014 and the Arjuna Award in 2007.
Amita Sharma (116 ODIs)
The right-arm bowling all-rounder played a total of 162 international games for India. She ended her stint at the highest level with 87 ODI wickets along with 67 in T20Is and 5 in Tests.