Shafali Verma-led Team India scripted history in South Africa on Sunday by clinching the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup. The Haryana batter made it to the list of Indian players, including Virat Kohli, Mohammad Kaif, Prithvi Shaw among others, to have led an Indian U-19 team to a world cup victory. However, she gets special mention as she becomes the first-ever cricketer to lead an Indian women’s team to an ICC title triumph.
The moment was special and it couldn’t have been better as the words of appreciation came directly from a legend of the game. Former India captain Mithali Raj, who changed the face of Indian women’s cricket but could never win an ICC trophy, took to Twitter and congratulated the young Indian teens on a ‘monumental achievement’ against a strong English side.
“Congratulations #TeamIndia, this is a monumental achievement! This fantastic victory shows how dominating you have been throughout the tournament. The triumph is even more special considering this is the first-ever Women’s #U19T20WorldCup. Cherish every moment,” Mithali tweeted.
In another tweet, Mithali heaped praise on India’s head coach Nooshin AL Khadeer for guiding a bunch of talented young girls to a superb victory.
“Very happy to see the hard work put in by @NooshinKhadeer coming to fruition in such a splendid manner! Heartiest congratulations and wishing you many more such successful campaigns in the future,” Mithali wrote.
The Indian women’s cricket team has never won a World Cup at any level. The seniors reached the World Cup final on three occasions across formats but failed to go the distance.
Mithali, who retired from international cricket as the leading scorer in WODIs, holds the record of being the only women cricketer to feature in six world cups. She captained the side in 24 World Cup games, claiming 14 victories, 8 losses and one no result. Back in 2018, she led the Indian side to the final of the 50-over World Cup in England but lost to the hosts.
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