Anju Jain was an all in one player for the Indian cricket team. Anju captained the Indian women’s cricket team in early 2000s, kept the wickets, opened the innings and played as a middle-order batsman on some occasions. In her celebrated cricket career, the wicketkeeper represented India in eight Test matches and 65 One Day Internationals scoring 441 and 1729 runs respectively. As the former skipper turns 47, let’s flip the pages and take a look at some of her best international knocks.
110 vs England Women, Kolkata, 1995
Anju Jain scripted history during the first Test match between India Women and England Women in Kolkata in 1995. Batting in the second innings, she played a remarkable knock of 110 runs off 278 deliveries. With a knock of 110, the veteran created the record for scoring most runs in an innings by an Indian women wicketkeeper. In the end, the Test match ended in a draw as India didn’t get a chance to bat for the second time.
84* vs West Indies Women, Nottingham, 1993
India kickstarted their campaign in the 1993 World Cup with a victory against West Indies Women by 63 runs. The main credit for the win goes to wicketkeeper Anju. Playing her first ODI match for India, Anju grabbed all the limelight by smashing 84 runs. On the back of the batting exploits by Anju, India posted 155 runs on the scoreboard. Chasing 156, West Indies collapsed at 92 as Diana Edluji took a three-wicket haul.
90 vs Sri Lanka Women, Colombo, 2004
The veteran wicketkeeper’s highest score in One Day International reads 90 runs. The knock came in 2004 when India were up against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the five-match series in Colombo. Batting first in the game, India scored 217 runs in their 50 overs courtesy of Anju. Opening the innings alongside Jaya Sharma, Anju added 90 runs to the scoreboard while facing 115 deliveries. The knock by the keeper came in a winning cause as India scripted a victory by a massive 123 runs.
61 vs New Zealand Women, Indore, Women’s World Cup 1997
Anju’s another remarkable performance in the 50-over format came against New Zealand Women during the 1997 World Cup. The league match saw New Zealand batting first and racking up a score of 176. In reply, India also made 176 runs as Anju played a sublime knock of 69 runs off 98 deliveries. As both the teams scored equal number of runs in their 50 overs, the match ended in a tie.
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