Punam Raut belongs to the generation of Indian women cricketers that grew up idolising Mithali Raj’s batsmanship. Raut’s knock of 30 against Sri Lanka in the ICC World T20 in 2009 helped India clinch a semi-final berth. She was in prime form in the domestic under-19 limited-overs competition in 2008-09. Her 443 runs at 55.37 in nine matches, inclusive of two hundreds and one fifty (HS - 126 v Hyderabad), earned her the BCCI’s M.A. Chidambaram Award for being India’s Best Junior Lady Cricketer of the Year.