ICC Chair Jay Shah Inaugurates New Mithali Raj Stand At ACA Cricket Stadium Ahead Of India vs Australia Clash At Women's World Cup 2025

India Women vs Australia Women: The Andhra Cricket Association (ACA) on Sunday, October 12, honoured Andhra Pradesh's two most legendary women cricketers, Mithali Raj and Raavi Kalpana.

The ACA named a stand and a gate after Mithali and Kalpana, respectively, at the ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam, on Sunday, October 12.

The stand and a gate were unveiled before the start of the 13th match of the Women's World Cup 2025 between India and Australia.

ALSO READ: India vs Australia Live Score, ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025

Jay Shah Present While Inaugurating Mithali Raj Stand and Raavi Kalpana Gate

During the inauguration, ICC Chairman Jay Shah, alongside ACA President Kesineni Sivanath, and several dignitaries from the cricketing fraternity were also present.

While unveiling the Mithali Raj Stand and Raavi Kalpana Gate at the ACA Stadium, ICC Chairman Jay Shah congratulated the Andhra Pradesh Government and ACA for their gesture towards the women's cricket stars.

He also showered praise on Mithali Raj, saying that her cricketing journey "resonate across the world". Jay Shah added that this gesture from the ACA will gain support for women’s cricket.

“I congratulate the Andhra Government and ACA for this commendable gesture. Mithali Raj’s journey and her achievements resonate across the cricketing world so naming a stand after her is a befitting tribute to her legacy. I am also confident that this gesture will galvanise support for women’s Cricket in the region, inspire more young girls to take up the sport and motivate emerging Cricketers to strive for higher levels of excellence,” Jay Shah said.

Meanwhile, Mithali Raj said that it was a true honour for her to get a stand named after herself.

“It is a true honour and privilege to have a stand named after me at Vizag. My heartfelt gratitude to the Andhra Government, the Andhra Cricket Association, and its office bearers for bestowing this recognition upon me. Vizag has always held a special place in my journey. It is where I spent countless hours honing my skills, learning the game, and growing into the cricketer and person I am today. To see how far women’s cricket has come fills me with immense pride...,” Mithali Raj said.

ALSO READ: World Cup 2025: India Sensation Smriti Mandhana Etches Name In Record Book, Attains Rare Milestone In Women's ODIs

Mithali Raj, Ravi Kalpana's Stats

Mithali Raj debuted for Team India in 1999 against Ireland in the Women's ODIs. Mithali had played 232 matches and 211 innings, scoring 7805 runs at an average of 50.68.

The 42-year-old played her maiden Test match for Team India in 2002 against England. In the long-format, Mithali played 12 matches and 19 innings, scoring 699 runs at an average of 43.68. The legendary batter made her debut in the women's T20Is in 2006 against England. In the 20-over format for the Indian Women's Cricket Team, Mithali Raj played 89 matches and 84 innings, scoring 2364 runs at an average of 37.52.

On the other hand, Ravi Kalpana is an Andhra-born wicketkeeper-batter. Her journey in the state cricket circuit to the national women's cricket team has helped many young Indian girls to start dreaming.