Matter of singular honour and pride: Mithali Raj thanks PM Modi for special letter lauding her cricket career

Indian cricket legend Mithali Raj took to social media on Saturday (July 2) to post a letter she received from Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi. Modi wrote a heartfelt message for Raj and lauded her service to the country and her contribution to cricket and women's sport.

Raj retired from the sport last month after an illustrious career that lasted 23 years and saw her take Indian cricket to great heights. She also led the national team for a number of years and was the captain of the side that reached the final of Women's cricket World Cup in both 2005 and 2017.

Posting an image of Modi's letter for her, Raj called it a matter of singular honour and pride. "It’s a matter of singular honour & pride when one receives such warm encouragement from our Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi ji, who is a role model & inspiration for millions including me. I am overwhelmed by this thoughtfully worded acknowledgment of my contribution to cricket," wrote Raj.

"I will treasure this forever. I feel inspired and encouraged for my next chapter and will strive hard to live up to the expectations of our Hon'ble PM in contributing towards the growth of Indian sports," she added.

Raj made her debut in 1999 at the age of 16 and scored a ton in her maiden international game against Ireland. She ended up playing 12 Test matches, 232 ODIs, and 89 T20Is. She had quit playing T20Is in 2019 but remained India's captain in the other two formats till her retirement. Her last Test outing came in a Test match against Australia last year while she made her last appearance for the country in the 2022 World Cup. Recently, Mithali hinted that she could return to play the Women's Indian Premier League.