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

Mithali Raj. Pic/AFP

Indian women's cricket team legend Mithali Raj on Thursday received an invitation for the 'Pran Pratishtha' ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh on January 22.

So far, the cricketers to receive the invitation are Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Mithali Raj the most decorated batswomen in women's cricket became the fourth player to receive an invitation to the mega event in India.

Also Read: The marvel that is Rohit Sharma!

Mithali Raj's mother accepted the invite on behalf of her. Taking to X:

"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.

Also Read: IN PHOTOS | IND vs ENG Tests: Players dropped for England series

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.

Known as one of the greatest women's cricketers of all time, Raj achieved a rare feat by smashing a century on her ODI debut. She holds the record of highest run-scorer in Women's ODIs and has registered 17 half-centuries to her name in the T20 Internationals. Mithali featured in 89 T20Is and has scored 2,364 runs at an average of 37.52. Her highest score in the shortest format of the game is 97 runs.

ODI being her best format, Mithali scored 7,805 runs at an average of 50.68 in 232 matches played. At the end of her career, she had seven centuries and 64 half-centuries under her belt with unbeaten 125 runs being her highest score in the format.

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.

(With ANI Inputs)