Former Indian skipper Mithali Raj receives invitation to Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha’

NEW DELHI: Legendary Indian batter Mithali Raj on Thursday received an invitation to attend the Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on January 22.

After star cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli, Mithali, the most decorated batter in women’s cricket history, has become the latest cricketer to receive an invitation to the event.

Mithali announced that her mother received the invitation on her behalf.

“Blessed to have received the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha Mangal Vidhi in Ayodhya. My mother accepted it on my behalf,” tweeted Mithali.

Several Bollywood celebrities including Akshay Kumar, Kangana Ranaut, Tiger Shroff, Jackie Shroff, Hariharan, Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Randeep Hooda have also received the invitation for the Ram Mandir ‘Pran Pratishtha’ ceremony in Ayodhya.

Vedic rituals for the Pran-Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya began on Tuesday, a week before the main ceremony. General secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust Champat Rai said Ram temple will be open for ‘darshan’ for the general public from January 23.

“The ‘Pran Prathishtha’ is expected to conclude by 1 pm. PM Modi and others present on the occasion will express their thoughts after the ceremony. As per tradition, gifts in 1000 baskets have come from Nepal’s Janakpur and areas of Mithila. On Jan 20 and 21 darshan will remain closed to public,” he said.

Blessed to have received the invitation to the Pran Pratishtha Mangal Vidhi in Ayodhya. My mother accepted it on my behalf. pic.twitter.com/S2i89xYKIb

— Mithali Raj (@M_Raj03) January 18, 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started an 11-day special ritual in the run-up to the Pran Pratishtha of Shri Ramlala at the temple at Ayodhya.

Acknowledged as one of the greatest female cricketers of all time, Mithali Raj opened her ODI career with a rare accomplishment – a century on debut.

Mithali is the highest run-scorer in women’s ODIs and has scored 17 half-centuries in her T20Is. In 89 T20Is, Raj has also scored 2,364 runs at an average of 37.52, with the best score of 97.

But Mithali’s best format was ODIs, in which she played 232 matches and scored 7,805 runs in 211 innings at an average of 50.68. She had seven tons and 64 fifties in the format, with the best score of 125*.

She also played 12 Tests, scoring 699 runs at an average of 43.68, with a century and four fifties in 19 innings.

The highly acclaimed cricketer captained India in the 2017 Women’s ODI Cricket World Cup, where India finished runners-up. She was also part of the Indian team that made it to the semi-finals of the 2018 ICC Women’s World T20, held in the West Indies. (ANI)