Born on 11th August 1974 in Delhi, is former Test and ODI player for India, Anju Jain, the leading wicket keeper of all time for India.
A right hand batter and wicket keeper, Anju made her debut for India in an ODI against West Indies in the 1993 World Cup. She opened the batting and top scored for the match with 84 not out. It was a sign of things to come, for this player was a special find for India.
The ’93 World Cup was the first of four appearances at the game’s premier event, over 1993, 1997, 2000 and 2005. Anju would appear in 65 ODIs for India scoring 1729 runs, still sitting in seventh best of all time for the Women in Blue. Her top score of 90 came against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup of 2004 and is one of twelve half centuries.
Behind the stumps Anju Jain is also the leading wicket keeper for India in ODIs having taken 30 catches and 51 stumpings to give her 81 dismissals in total. She sits in ninth position in the world. Anju captained the Women in Blue for eight matches, winning five.
Moving on to Test cricket, Anju made her debut against New Zealand in February 1995 at Nelson. It was the first of eight Tests in her career, scoring 441 runs at 36.75 with a high score of 110 against England at Kolkata in November 1995, earning her the Player of the Match award. With the gloves, 15 catches and 8 stumpings for a total of 23 dismissals which makes Anju the most successful Test wicket keeper of all time. In 2005 Anju received the Arjuna Award. Since retirement she has coached domestic teams, as well as the Indian and Bangladesh national teams.
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