Former Indian cricketer Mithali Raj, shuttler Srikanth Kidambi visit Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple

TIRUPATI: Former Indian cricketer Mithali Raj and current Indian badminton player Srikanth Kidambi visited the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati district on Wednesday.

Mithali offered prayers to Lord Sri Venkateswara Swamy at Tirumala during the Thomala Seva. Srikanth Kidambi, on the other hand, visited the temple along with his wife.

#WATCH | Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh: Former captain of the Indian women’s cricket team, Mithali Raj, visits the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Temple pic.twitter.com/tgRjknwYvm

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2026

Mithali Raj, who captained the India women’s cricket team from 2005 to 2022, is widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers to have represented the country. Over a remarkable 23-year career, she became the leading run-scorer in women’s ODIs with 7,805 runs and played a pivotal role in elevating the status of women’s cricket in India.

Across formats, Mithali represented India in 333 matches and amassed 10,868 international runs, the highest by any player in women’s international cricket. In recognition of her outstanding contributions to the game, she was recently honoured with the BCCI Lifetime Achievement Award for Women.

As captain, she guided India to two ICC Women’s World Cup finals, inspiring a new generation of cricketers and leaving a lasting impact on the global rise of Indian women’s cricket.

Srikanth Kidambi, on the other hand, is set to form the core of India’s men’s squad for the upcoming 2026 Thomas and Uber Cup Finals to be held in Horsens, Denmark, from April 24 to May 3. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has selected a mix of experienced campaigners and in-form youngsters for the event.

#WATCH | Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh: Indian badminton player Srikanth Kidambi, along with his wife, celebrity costume designer Shravya Varma, visits the Sri Venkateswara Swamy Vaari Temple in Tirumala. pic.twitter.com/yy0WxZxvTj

— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2026

India’s men’s team for the 2026 Thomas and Uber Cup Finals: Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty, Kidambi Srikanth, H. S. Prannoy, Kiran George, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Hariharan Amsakarunan, M. R. Arjun, Dhruv Kapila.

Women’s team: PV Sindhu, Unnati Hooda, Tanvi Sharma, Devika Sihag, Isharani Baruah, Treesa Jolly, Gayatri Gopichand Pullela, Kavipriya Selvam, Simran Singhi, Tanisha Crasto. (ANI)