Shantha Rangaswamy

The first woman to lead an Indian cricket team, the first woman to win a Test series and the first woman to receive a lifetime achievement award from the BCCI, Shanta Rangaswamy was nothing short of a pioneer. But if she had to be broken down in the simplest terms, she was a batting allrounder, who ran in with the new ball and later made others run after it.

Rangaswamy captained 12 out of the 16 Tests she played in since making her debut in October 1976. India took on West Indies across six matches and by top-scoring with 381 runs at an average of 42.33, with four half-centuries, Rangaswamy led the team to a 1-0 victory. She has also been part of 19 ODIs and in terms of time, her career spanned 15 years. She scored India's first Test century and smashed the first six as well. While she wasn't playing, Rangaswamy had also been a commentator with All India Radio. She was given the Arjuna Award in 1976.
ESPNcricinfo staff