An Indian great and an icon of women’s cricket, Jhulan Goswami, on the 24th of September, at the Lord’s cricket ground is set to bid farewell to the great game. India’s ongoing tour of England was opted as Jhulan Goswami’s farewell series by the Broad of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after she’d missed the series against Sri Lanka and also the Commonwealth Games.
The face of Indian cricket, Jhulan Goswami, has been one of India’s finest produced fast bowlers. If not in the recent past, Jhulan Goswami was the fastest when she debuted way back in 2002 and was so for a decade. The 19-year-long career of Jhulan Goswami has seen her breach and create so many records. To name a standout, Jhulan Goswami is the leading wicket-taker in One-Day International with 252 wickets to her name in 200 innings with best figures of 6/31 and a stunningly brilliant average of 3.37.
“Going out in the middle just before the match, and singing the national anthem were the best moments of my life.”
– Jhulan Goswami in press conference #ENGvIND #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/MT2XKNWIy6
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) September 23, 2022
Jhulan Goswami the all-rounder has been a very handy batter for India lower down the order with 1228 runs in 120 innings and has got to the highest score of 57 in the format alone. Jhulan in the ODI format, also holds the record for the most wicket taken leg-before-wicket (lbw), bowled and caught behind with respective counts of 56, 94 and 40.
Test match cricket too has been lucky to see a little of Jhulan Goswami and the format has seen her bag 44 wickets in 12 matches (21 innings) with best figures of 5/25 in an innings and 5/25 in a match. Jhulan has a very good average of 17.36 with an excellent economy rate of 2.02 and has got 3 fifers, 2 four-fer and a 10-wicket-haul in the format.
Jhulan Goswami has a rare record to her name that is most likely never going to be breached as she stands on the top of the list as the youngest to a 10-wicket haul in Test match cricket. It was a 23-year-old quick Jhulan Goswami who bagged 10 wickets in a match recording figures of 10/78 against England in Taunton in 2006. With the most wickets lbw (18) in the format, she leads the record list as well.
If not her absolute best, the shortest format too has seen a good share of Jhulan Goswami where she’s picked up 56 wickets in 67 innings at an average of 21.94 and an economy of 5.45. In the shortest format where 24 balls are a maximum, it didn’t resist her from displaying a special as she registered a fifer even in the format with figures of 5/11.
World events too have often witnessed the best of Jhulan Goswami and in 2007 was named the Cricketer of the Year by the International Cricket Council. Early this year during the Women’s World Cup, Jhulan went on to break the record for the most wickets at the Women’s World Cups, going past Australia’s Lynn Fullston for the incredible feat. She picked up her 40th wicket of the tournament against the West Indies when she dismissed Anisa Mohammed.
Jhulan Goswami when will run to the 22-yards in the Indian gear on the 24th of September will finish her career as the second women cricketer to have the longest career in ODIs, spanning 20 years and 75 days. On the list, she follows Indian legend, Mithali Raj.
From having the honour of captaining India (2008-11) to being an Arjuna Awardee in 2010 and Padma Shri awardee in 2012, Jhulan Goswami, always has received the recognition she deserves. Her glorious and illustrious career which will have a full stop put over it on the 24th of September at cricket’s iconic venue, Lord’s, will simply be an absolute fitting end that many don’t and didn’t experience as an honour to their years served which were filled with pain, sweat, tears, commitment and joy.
