A Legend to Bow Out at Lord’s
The legacy to be Carried On
Jhulan Goswami, India’s veteran Indian pacer, is set to retire from international cricket after the third and final One-Day International (ODI) of the India tour of England on September 24.
Goswami will leave the arena as the unsurpassed highest wicket-taker in the women’s game. She has 352 international wickets in her account after a long career span of 20 years; 44 in 12 Tests, 252 in 201 women’s ODIs, and 56 in 68 women’s T20 Internationals.
Goswami also did not play a white-ball series against Sri Lanka last month but was selected in the Indian squad for the England tour, only before her retirement plans were disclosed. However, the 39-year-old may play the much-anticipated inaugural edition of the women’s Indian Premier League (IPL), which is prone to be played in 2023. She is also in contact with a men’s IPL franchise for a mentoring role and will assist the Bengal women in domestic fixtures.
Goswami made her Test debut in Lucknow, against England, in January 2002 but, she couldn’t pick a wicket in that match. Her best came in the second Test match against England in Taunton in September 2006, nearly four years after her debut in whites; where she finished the game with impressive figures of 5 for 33 in the first innings and 5 for 45 in the second one, at the age of 23.
The right-arm pacer wore India’s ODI jersey in January 2002 against England in Chennai for the first time. While her T20I debut was against England again, this time away from home in Derby in August 2006. Goswami retired from T20I cricket back in 2018, while continuing to play in a couple of editions of the Women’s T20 Challenge.
Goswami has perhaps been one of the most passionate cricketers across the globe. Acknowledging that India, with no holds barred, always lacked a pacer along with a deficiency of facilities, more games, money, and attention, in the early years. Goswami became a game-changer. Her raw pace used to trouble prodigies around the world and it still does, if you look at the dismissals of Meg Lanning in the semi-final of ICC women’s Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2017 and Alyssa Healy in the second innings of the Pink Ball Test at the Carrara Oval in September-October 2021.
Goswami was pleasant to watch. Her orthodox, absolutely ideal, and nearly flawless bowling action was something anyone would crave to adapt to. And those perfect out-swingers, needless to say! It’s hapless how we overlooked her finest before the 2017 revolution struck the Indian cricketing fraternity.
Goswami has always shared a fond association with Mithali Raj, her contemporary teammate, on and off the field. The duo was there when India touched the sky and was still there when it hit rock bottom. Raj recently announced her retirement. Now Goswami has, without a world title and with the glamour of India’s fruitful coming.
Shafali Verma, ahead of the 2022 women’s CWC in New Zealand, had stated that they wanted to win that World Cup for Raj and Goswami; the World Cup where Goswami crossed the mark of 250 ODI wickets. Nevertheless, what seemed so close then resulted in it being so far.
Often entitled ‘Chakdaha Express,’ a name given from her hometown, Goswami took cricket at 15 and was a ball-girl during the 1997 women’s CWC final at Eden Gardens. The speedster now has an ICC Cricketer of the Year (2007) award, an Arjuna Award (2010), and a Padma Shri (2012), in her vitrine.
Goswami, on a talk show three years ago, had stated that she was thinking of retiring after the 2009 women’s CWC, but couldn’t quit the game and still takes the field after an hour of taping. Speaking about India’s World Cup reverie in women’s sport, she further added,
“That (not winning the title) blot will remain unless you win the World Cup. Irrespective of whether me being on the team or not, the day the Indian women’s cricket team wins a tournament like the World Cup, I think that blot will be erased, for me. I live with this dream and this passion.”
With no going back, it was the Raj-Goswami era as the Lord’s embraces to honor the legend of Jhulan Goswami.
