Jhulan Goswami : A True Legend

The football-mad town of Chakdah in West Bengal saw a dreamy-eyed young girl watch the 1992 Women's Cricket World Cup on TV, and this inspired her to take up cricket as a sport. Before that, Jhulan, as a youngster, had genuinely enjoyed watching and playing football in the small streets of her town. But after the 1997 Women's World Cup, in which the final, which was played between Australia and New Zealand, truly inspired her to take up the sport, and she started playing cricket full-time at the age of 15. Moreover, the small town of Chakdah had no cricket facilities, and Jhulan had to go to Kolkata in order to undergo training.

This meant she had to travel two and a half hours every day by the local train, so that she could make it in time for training at 8am on the Vivekananda Ground in Kolkata. Easier said than done, she woke up at 4.15 everyday so that she could board the local which left Chakdah at 5.05 sharp, and reached a small local station in the big city in Kolkata. A further bus ride from the local station meant she reported just in time to her coach Mr. Swapan Sandhu, who was a strict teacher and had a reputation of punishing the kids if they arrived late for practice. “He didn’t allow me to play to play if I arrived late. This was a real eye-opener for me and prepared me for my future”, Jhulan recalls. Besides this, she regularly faced taunts and comments from people who boarded the train. “You play cricket? Focus on your studies! Girls like you have very less opportunities in such fields!” At home as well, she faced a lot of criticism from her relatives, but she recalls that her Grandmother always supported her and encouraged her to pursue her dream. Her Grandmother, who was a very practical person, kept telling her, “If you don’t speak for yourself, then who would?” Jhulan took her well-wisher’s advice and kept swimming against the tide.      

And her efforts bore fruit. Within 4 years, at the mere age of 19, Jhulan had a ball in hand, wearing the coveted India jersey and a lot of firepower in her heart. It was 2002, the year in which her Test as well as ODI debut occurred. And thereafter started the absolute joyride of awards, accolades and personal laurels.

Jhulan Goswami has played 12 Tests, 203 ODIs and 68 T20Is for the nation.  

She has taken 44 Test wickets, 253 ODI wickets and 56 T20I wickets while bowling as a right-hand fast-medium bowler.                                                                                                    

She is referred to as one of the fastest bowlers of her era.

And is the highest wicket-taker of all time in Women's ODIs. With a whopping 253 wickets, she is also the only woman in history to go beyond the 200 and 250-wicket mark.

She has won national accolades such as the Padma Shri in 2012, the Arjuna Award in 2010, and the award of 'ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year' in 2007. 

She had the honour of captaining the Indian women from 2008 to 2011. She holds the record for the highest number of wickets in a World Cup tournament and the record of 'best bowling figures for an Indian Woman' (a 5-11 against Australia).

 

Her standout performances include her famous five-wicket hauls in a Test match against England in England (5-33 in the first innings and 5-45 in the second innings) which helped the Women's national team to clinch their first Test series victory in England. Her 4-16 against the West Indies and her 5-16 against England have helped the Indian side to pull victory from the jaws of defeat. According to her teammates, she has always been an approachable and understanding senior in the Indian camp, always advising and looking for improvements in their game. She has happily taken the place of a mentor in the West Bengal domestic side after her recent retirement from all forms of international cricket, on 24th September 2022.

A true inspiration, a true legend, and a lighthouse for those who are making efforts for achieving their goal, Jhulan Goswami was given a guard of honour by the English side as she walked out to bat at the legendary ground of Lord's. 

I feel, this itself speaks volumes about her contribution to Indian Cricket!

Credits - Omkar Pol (FY Mech) 112110106

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