Taapsee Pannu prepares to play the role of Mithali Raj in her biopic

Bollywood has got a new-found love in sports-themed movie lately. While the Ranveer Singh-starrer '83, where he plays the role of Kapil Dev, has been on the news for a while, critically acclaimed actor Taapsee Pannu announced that she is all set to bring the life of Indian women's cricket team captain, Mithali Raj, on the silver screen.

The actress took to her Instagram account and revealed she will be donning the Indian cricket team jersey in the biopic. And what could be a better occasion to announce this than on Mithali's birthday?

"On this Birthday of yours I don’t know what gift I can give you but this promise that I shall give it all I have to make sure you will be proud of what you see of yourself on screen with #ShabaashMithu," Taapsee captioned a picture of Mithali cutting the cake.

"Happy Happy Birthday Captain @mithaliraj! You have made all of us proud in more than many ways and it’s truly an honour to be chosen to showcase your journey on screen," she wrote. "P.S- I am all prepared to learn THE ‘cover drive'" she added.

In a statement to Bombay Times, Taapsee said she was honoured to play the woman Indian cricket team captain. "Though I have already started feeling the pressure of stepping into her shoes, I don’t want to trade this place with anyone else. Mithali has always been brave and strong to back the truth, and that is why I connect with her. She has changed the way women’s cricket is perceived in India and her story is truly worth telling," she said. Earlier, Taapsee essayed the role of a female shooter in the movie Saand Ki Aankh and a hockey player Soorma.

Mithali was the former captain of the Indian women's national cricket team in Tests and ODIs. She is often regarded as one of the greatest batswomen to have ever played the game and she is the highest run-scorer in women's international cricket and the only female cricketer to surpass the 6,000 run mark in WODIs. She is the first player to score seven consecutive 50s in ODIs. Raj also holds the record for most half-centuries in WODIs. In June 2018 during the 2018 Women's Twenty20 Asia Cup, she became the first player from India (either male or female) to score 2000 runs in T20Is, and also became the first woman cricketer to reach 2002 WT20I runs.

Raj is the only player (male or female) to have captained India in more than one ICC ODI World Cup final, doing so twice in 2005 and 2017. On 1 February 2019, during India's series against New Zealand Women, Raj became the first woman to play in 200 ODI matches.

In September 2019, she announced her retirement from T20Is to focus on ODI cricket. The former captain Mithali Raj became the first woman to complete 20 years in international cricket.