Actress
Taapsee
Pannu
said
Mithali
Raj,
who
announced
her
retirement
from
all
forms
of
international
cricket
after
a
two-decade
long
illustrious
career,
will
be
remembered
as
an
inspiring
figure.
Raj,
one
of
the
greatest
female
cricketers
to
have
played
the
game,
ended
her
glorious
career
with
a
record
7805
runs
in
232
ODIs
(One-Day
International).
She
also
represented
India
in
12
Tests
and
89
T20
Internationals.
Pannu,
who
plays
Raj
in
her
upcoming
biopic
Shabaash
Mithu,
credited
the
39-year-old
for
being
an
inspiring
figure.
"There
are
cricketers
who
have
records
under
their
name.
There
are
cricketers
who
have
tremendous
fan
following.
There
are
cricketers
who
inspire
you
and
make
you
believe
that
if
they
can
so
can
you!
"And
then
there’s
Mithali
who
did
all
of
this
in
her
classic
graceful
style
and
also
changed
the
game
of
cricket
where
the
presence
of
women
is
concerned,"
Pannu
said
in
a
statement.
The
actor
said
Raj's
legacy
will
always
be
remembered,
especially
her
contribution
to
women's
cricket.
Pannu
said
she
felt
fortunate
to
have
had
the
opportunity
to
play
the
cricketer
in
the
film,
which
is
expected
to
release
in
July.
"Not
just
in
our
country
but
she
will
be
remembered
for
her
contribution
to
women's
cricket
across
the
globe.
I
just
got
too
fortunate
as
a
fan
who
got
to
live
her
glorious
journey
of
23
years
for
a
bit
on
camera
which
taught
me
so
much
about
resilience
and
perseverance.
She
is
truly
a
legend
we
can
never
thank
enough,"
Pannu
added.
Raj
had
already
retired
from
the
T20
format
and
her
decision
to
stop
playing
all
formats
was
expected
after
India's
ODI
World
Cup
campaign
ended
in
March
2022.
Directed
by
filmmaker
Srijit
Mukherji
and
written
by
Priya
Aven,
the
film
is
a
coming-of-age
story
of
women’s
cricket
in
India
and
will
chronicle
the
highs
and
lows,
setbacks
and
moments
of
euphoria
of
Raj’s
life.