The lightning lady of Indian Women’s Cricket team and an inspiration to millions around the cricketing world – Jhulan Goswami has been at the forefront of Indian cricket and has been a flag bearer for so many years.
She comes from a very humble background and has made her way through struggles, societal tantrums, and several unpleasant situations. She never stopped and kept on creating milestones along her prodigious journey that spans over 18 years.
In pointers, we have tried to explain to you this beautiful journey of our very own Chakdaha express – Jhulan Goswami.
1. She was born on 25 November 1982 in Chakdaha, a small city in West Bengal, India
2. Jhulan began playing at the age of 15, taking inspiration for World Cup Final match in 1997 at Eden
3. Watching Australia women take a victory lap after defeating New Zealand motivated her to take up cricket
4. She used to wake up at 4.10 am to board 5.05 am local train from Chakdaha to attend practice sessions
5. She would spend nearly 5 hours every day traveling to and fro and recalls as the best days of her life
6. Coming from a non-cricketing background, Jhulan’s parents wanted her to pursue studies & not cricket
7. She would often encounter people questioning her cricket career and make derogatory remarks
8. Her Coach Swapan Sadhu was very impressed with Jhulan’s high-arm bowling action
9. He met Jhulan’s parents and convinced them to let her play, at least for 2 years
10. At the age of 19, she made her debut in the Indian team
11. She made her ODI debut against England Women at Chennai, January 6, 2002
12. She made her Test debut against England Women at Lucknow, January 14-17, 2002
13. She made her T20I debut against England Women at Derby on August 5, 2006
14. With figures of 5/21, she guided the Indian team to first Test series win in England in the 2006-07 season
15. For her phenomenal performance, she won the ICC Women’s Player of the Year 2007
16. She captained the Indian side from 2008-2011, including 2009 Women’s World Cup
17. For her contribution to sports, in 2010 she was awarded the prestigious Arjun Award
Also Read: Top 10 facts about the legend – Jhulan Goswami
18. In 2012, she became only the second Indian female cricketer to receive Padma Shri
19. In 2017, she was also part of the Indian team that reached the Finals of Women’s Cricket World Cup
20. In February 2018, she became the FIRST female cricketer to take 200 ODI wickets
21. In April 2018, Jhulan was featured on an Indian postage stamp issued in her honor by the Indian government
Also Read: 10 Quotes from Jhulan Goswami that will inspire you to take up cricket today
22. Jhulan Goswami announced her retirement from T20Is, her last T20 was against Bangladesh on June 2018
23. In March 2019, Jhulan became the world’s No.1 ODI bowler
24. Jhulan along her journey has inspired several girls to take up cricket, including Pakistan’s bowler Kainat Imtiaz
25. Female Cricket salutes this lightning lady of Indian cricket who has been the flag bearer for so many years
Also Read: Our Exclusive interview with Jhulan Goswami
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