The International Cricket Council (ICC) hailed Mithali Raj, an Indian legend, for a remarkable career that spanned more than two decades and saw her become the face of the Indian women's cricket team as well as a global ambassador for women's cricket.

She retired from all forms of international cricket on Wednesday (June 08). Raj has also had the longest international career in women's cricket, having made her debut at the age of 16 in 1999.

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ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice said Raj is a hero for cricketers around the world and hoped she would continue to contribute to the game in the future.

"Mithali is one of the all-time greats of the game. Over the past 23 years, many young girls and boys will have been inspired to take up the sport after watching her, " he said.

"Mithali has played a huge role in raising the profile of women's cricket during a crucial period of its growth and I sincerely hope she will stay involved with the game in the coming years. On behalf of the ICC, I congratulate her for a fantastic career," he said further.

The 39-year-old leaves the international stage as the 50-over format's all-time highest run-scorer, with 7,805 runs at a staggering 50.68 apiece in 211 innings. She has struck an unprecedented 64 half-centuries and seven centuries. Her ability to switch between formats with ease, as seen by her total of 699 runs at an average of 43.7 in 12 Tests, made her the match-winner she became.

In 155 ODIs as captain, the 39-year-old has 89 wins, the highest for any player in women's ODIs. Her 155 ODI appearances as a skipper are also the most in women's ODI history. 

In a career that saw her getting into no controversies and by simply playing the sport with utmost integrity, she showed a billion Indians what was possible. 

(Asian News International Inputs)