Farewell Jhulan Goswami, the link between two ages of Indian women’s cricket
Farewell Jhulan Goswami, the link between two ages of Indian women’s cricket: In Indian cricket, only a select few are allowed to retire while actively playing the game.
So it’s wonderful that tomorrow, after a career that began in unremarkable Chakdaha in Bengal, Jhulan Goswami will say farewell to what will undoubtedly be a resounding ovation from fans and colleagues at Lord’s.
Players
This farewell match is unlike any other in the recent history of Indian cricket. Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan, and even Goswami’s close buddy Mithali Raj have all quietly gone away in recent years.
One wondered whether another famous career would be cut short as an injured Goswami stood immobile during India’s 2022 World Cup elimination match against South Africa in Christchurch, in the final over of the group stage.
Even if her retirement isn’t as well heralded as Sachin Tendulkar’s, Goswami will get the sendoff she deserves.
To some extent, Goswami will be closing a circle this coming Saturday when she plays her last game while wearing India’s national team uniform.
Against England in the 2017 World Cup final, she came within a whisker of cricket’s ultimate glory five years ago at Lord’s. However, despite the disappointment of not achieving that goal, Goswami can depart England with the satisfaction of leading India to its first series victory in the country in 23 years.
Goswami represents the final connection between two eras in Indian women’s cricket for the current generation.
ODI
She has been a household name in India for quite some time now, with Raj, Diana Edulji, and Shantha Rangaswamy. Besides her farewell series, Raj had been a permanent fixture in Goswami’s XI for every One-Day International she had played in.
Goswami and Shikha Pandey carried the Indian bowling for nearly five years, but the fast bowling cupboard was otherwise bare until recently when new talent began to emerge.
It may take some time, but India appears to be on track to electing a leader who will serve for the next two decades.
Goswami, now known as “Jhulu di” to her younger teammates, was a ball girl at Eden Gardens during the 1997 World Cup final and, as a small child, was mesmerized by the sight of Cathryn Fitzpatrick.
In a symbolic passing of the torch, she will bowl alongside Renuka Thakur and Meghna Singh at Lord’s on Saturday.
IPL
When Goswami played for India in the 2016 T20 World Cup, Thakur was a starstruck academy child and ball girl in Dharamsala, and Meghna waited in the lobby of a Kanpur hotel all day so she could make a beeline for Goswami when she arrived, just to be able to get a ball autographed.
Following Raj’s footsteps, Goswami’s retirement will be the final nail in the coffin of Indian women’s cricket.
Over the past two decades or so, the women’s cricket team has gone from being a mediocre side. It is that only competed for the love of the game to one that is respected and revered, one that is followed with nearly as much fervor as their male counterparts.
Also, one is poised for a revolution in 2019, with the possibilities that the women’s IPL will bring.
Despite suffering injuries to her back, heel, shoulder, ankle, and knees, Goswami persevered throughout her career and set new records.
Her accomplishment of reaching the highest levels of women’s tennis is emblematic of the latent potential in India’s underdeveloped urban centers and rural enclaves.
The simplicity with which Goswami, the cricketer, approaches life and the game is a recurrent theme in her discussions. She is a blend of tradition and progress.
In her bowling, she exemplified the benefits of a clear head because she seemed preprogrammed to always aim for the boundary.
Career
In her early career, her sneaky inswinger was a potent weapon; now, she has one that strikes the seam and keeps its line. This latter skill was most on display in the semi-final of the 2017 World Cup when it was responsible for the dismissal of Meg Lanning.
Domestic cricket rarely produces hard evidence, but multiple players attest that Goswami possessed one of the most devastating bouncers ever.
Players would be terrified to look her in the eye for hours if they misfielded off her bowling. But once the game was over, she would celebrate with the same players by dancing, singing, and feeding them ice cream and dessert if India won.
Goswami’s affable personality was just as memorable of a part of her career as her bowling prowess. She was never afraid to include the group’s younger members in conversation, always making them feel like they were part of the family.
Comments
When we were down and out, she was there to be our “agony aunt.”
Her famous line, “Chin up, girls, we haven’t lost a battle,” was used whenever morale in the locker room was low after a loss. She believed that if you work to reach the top level of any field, you should enjoy every victory and defeat.
At other times, as the 2017 semi-final, she would be the unyielding force, able to stare down batters and tell her fielders to yell and play brilliantly to prove “we are no less.”
She knocked Lanning over like that as a demonstration of her leadership was significant.
There will probably be some tears shed inside and outside the Indian locker room on Saturday when the final run is scored, or the final wicket is taken.
Goswami has been a towering figure in many people’s lives for over twenty years. He has served as captain, older sibling, friend, mentor, philosopher, and more.
Goswami is a once-in-a-generation player, as recently said by Rohit Sharma. The people who would be responsible for continuing her work couldn’t have asked for a greater example.
India has lost a hard worker, but she has gained a potential role model and teacher who can instill in her students the qualities that have made her a global powerhouse.
Read More: Jhulan, pace spearhead, and bridge between generations, bids adieu