Jhulan Goswami: The highest wicket-taker in women’s ODI history to retire

On Sunday, Jhulan Goswami may play the last match of her two-decade-long profession in international cricket.

The cricketer is set to retire at Lord’s cricket ground, after the Indian women’s cricket group plays the final match up of the ongoing three-game One Day International (ODI) series against England.

Many summers ago, the towering quick bowler had plucked a blade associated with grass from the grass at Lord’s — a keepsake in the event she never came back to the hallowed stadium.

But Goswami continued to become a trail-blazer within women’s cricket and inspired generations associated with girls in India to take up the sports activity.

A former India captain, she is the greatest wicket-taker in women’s international cricket along with 353 wickets within 283 matches.

“When I debuted [in international cricket], she was the captain; so it’s a great opportunity for me in order to lead the last ODI she plays, ” said teammate and India captain Harmanpreet Kaur.

“The group will be trying to create some great moments during the match so that the girl can take back great memories from it. inch

On 18 September, when 39-year-old Goswami played the to begin three ODIs towards England , she became the oldest female cricketer to represent the country. The record was earlier held by Mithali Raj – India’s legendary batter who else retired in June.

Goswami’s prowess as being a bowler shone through during Sunday’s suit, as it has during many matches just before. In the words of the England team’s stand-in captain Amy Jones, “She just certainly not seems to have a drop in form… She actually is been so consistent. ”

At the heart of Goswami’s longevity and regularity is her outstanding awareness of her body and devotion with her craft. India mens captain Rohit Sharma has described the girl as a “once-in-a-generation player” and has said that Goswami’s dedication to the sport will inspire these wanting to represent India, “whether it’s [in] ladies cricket or men’s cricket”.

Ladies cricket in India has struggled to take pleasure from the same level of recognition and funding since men’s cricket.

So , much of Goswami’s rise from Chakdaha, a small town in the eastern state of West Bengal, to the top of international cricket has been anchored in passion only. Like Raj’s 23-year cricketing career, Goswami’s career too offers blossomed despite the program.

Born into a traditional middle-class Bengali family members that had no roots in competitive sport, Goswami didn’t consider the prospect associated with pursuing cricket seriously until the 1997 Can certainly Cricket World Mug final – kept in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in Western Bengal.

She was a ball female during the Australia vs New Zealand one-day match, and viewing the Australian group do a victory panel at the Eden Landscapes stadium kindled in her the imagine playing for India.

Goswami found a long-time personal coach in Swapan Sadhu, who set in motion the wheels of her formal training in the game. Aged 15, she began to learn the rules under Sadhu in Kolkata’s Vivekananda Park, which was a good 80km (50 miles) away from her home. She would undertake solo train commutes of over two-and-a-half hours each way, thrice a week, to pursue the girl passion.

She made her debut in household cricket as part of the Bengal team towards the close up of the 1990s and in January 2002, the girl made her international debut.

Though the girl primary skill was bowling, over time, Goswami groomed herself to turn into a handy batter too. In 2006, she struck her 2nd Test half-century, assisting India register their first-ever series triumph against England in the longest format.

With the most part of the late-2000s, Goswami was the fastest bowler in women’s cricket, a phase that coincided with other personal highs. In 2007, she became the first Indian in order to win the Global Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Cricketer of the Year Award, and took over captaincy through Raj for about 3 years ahead of the team’s Quotes tour in October 2008.

That same month, the girl became the first girl to be ranked amount 1, when the ICC launched its world ranking system intended for female cricketers.

The particular 2017 ODI Planet Cup in England proved to be a watershed occasion in Goswami’s career – and in Indian women’s cricket.

It was Goswami’s 4th 50-over world tournament and her bowling spells, especially in the semi-final against Australia as well as the final against Britain, helped give unfancied India a runners-up finish.

Around the same time, Goswami has been making historic breakthrough in South Africa.

In May 2017, the girl 181st dismissal assisted her top the wicket-takers’ list in women’s ODIs, ruling one of her idols – Australian fast bowler Cathryn Fitzpatrick. The following February, the girl became the first woman to register 200 wickets in the ODI format.

Three months before the 2018 T20 World Cup, Goswami – the only Indian woman with a five-wicket haul across formats – quit T20 Internationals. The lady said her aging body was unable to keep up with the rapidity of cricket’s quickest format.

As Indian embarked on a search for younger players, Goswami renewed her goal for a World Cup win – something which continues to elude India even today. She considered the title was the “dhamaka” (explosion) needed to propel Indian women’s cricket to the next level.

The visibility the particular 2017 World Glass campaign had delivered the team, performed a role in pushing Goswami, like Raj, to press on and aim for 1 last shot on World Cup beauty.

But at the 2022 ODI World Cup, an injury ahead of India’s last group fitting grounded Goswami. The girl watched her team make an unexpected league-stage exit from the sidelines.

Raj stop international cricket three months later without actively playing another match. Quickly, speculations arose if the 2022 world competition would be Goswami’s swansong too.

It wasn’t. So the stage is now set at Lord’s for one last bowling spell; one final burst of interest; one final hurrah “for Jhulu di” (Jhulu sis), as some of her teammates fondly call her.