This Padma Shri Winner Has Made India Proud Not Just OnceMithali Dorai Raj became the first cricket player to make 6,000 runs in WODIs in 2017

The first captain to lead India to an ICC ODI World Cup final twice, Raj has set a precedent for women to choose their dreams over societal expectations. Regarded as one of the greatest cricketing batters, Raj believes in pursuing what she wants to do. The highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in ODIs, she won the Padma Shri in 2015 and is also the recipient of the Arjuna Award.

"There are few things in life you can achieve when you have to take decisions. I have taken a decision to pursue my career and struggled a lot, faced a lot of challenges. I don't just consider societal norms," Raj says. Her top three tips that can lead any woman to success include a lot of self-belief and self-confidence, being independent in one's thoughts and being strong mentally. Raj led India to ICC ODI World Cup win in 2005 and 2017. She also led the team to 2005 Women's Cricket World Cup finals, where they lost to Australia.

The year 2017 belonged to Raj. In February, she became the second player to make 5,500 runs in WODIs. In July, she became the first player to make 6,000 runs in WODIs. She led the Indian team to the Women's Cricket World Cup finals. The team lost to England by nine runs. In December, she was named as one of the players in the ICC Women's ODI Team of the Year.

This article was first published in the March issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, clickhere)