India Women's Batter Punam Raut Retires from International Cricket

16 October 2026National

India women's opening batter Punam Raut announced her retirement from all international cricket in October 2026, closing a career that ran from 2009 to 2021. She played 4 Tests for 264 runs at an average of 44, with a best of 130 against South Africa in 2014; 73 ODIs for 2,299 runs at 34.83 with three centuries and 15 fifties; and 35 T20Is for 719 runs. Her 320-run opening stand with Deepti Sharma against Ireland at Potchefstroom in May 2017 remains a women's ODI record, and she made 86 in the 2017 World Cup final that India lost to England by nine runs.

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The 2017 ICC Women's World Cup final was played at Lord's, London, where England beat India by nine runs | Mithali Raj is the highest run-scorer in women's ODI history and Jhulan Goswami the leading wicket-taker in women's ODIs | The BCCI announced equal match fees for its centrally contracted men's and women's cricketers in 2022

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