Jhulan Goswami : Epitome of longevity

Born on November 25, 1982, West Bengal’s Chakdaha resident Jhulan Goswami was among the many who took up cricket having been in awe of the televised cricket World Cup. Raised in a middle-class family, the starry-eyed Goswami was bowled over by the sport while watching the 1992 ICC World Cup and her intrigue further cemented into a dream when she saw Australia’s Bellinda Clark during the ‘97 Women’s World Cup.

Since Chakdaha didn’t have cricket facilities, Goswami had to move to Kolkata in search of knowledge and she would get her first call-up in the Bengal women’s team soon. Her hard work paid off as the player got to debut as a 19-year-old against England in Lucknow in 2002. There was no looking back for Goswami since as she went from strength to strength before the 2006-07 season came, the turning phase in her career.

Together with Mithali Raj, Goswami helped the Indian Women’s Cricket team to get their very first-ever Test series victory. India were touring England in 2006 and Goswami’s fifty as a nightwatchman helped her side get their first win over England in a Test. The visitors whitewashed the Britishers 2-0 as the bowler ended with figures of 3/46 and 5/33 in consecutive matches.

Goswami soon become a vital cog in India’s wheel, contributing significantly as the Indian women’s cricket team made giant strides. Playing in the team as their premier bowler. Goswami was way more than a lower-order batter for the team, which is evident from her 1000-plus runs in ODIs. 

Former Indian women’s cricket team captain Mithali Raj had benefitted hugely from Goswami’s batting skill on her way to the record 214-run tally against England in Taunton in 2002. Goswami would score 62 to stick in with Raj and add 157 crucial runs to the scorecard that helped India draw the Test.

Goswami was almost 40 years old when she played her last match in ODI for India, which made her the oldest Indian to play a women’s World Cup match. She ended her career with over 200 ODI wickets, the most by any women cricketer ever.

Apart from being among the only two women cricketers to have a five-wicket haul in all three formats - Tests, ODIs and T20Is - Goswami is also the leading wicket-taker in Women’s ODI World Cup history. All of Goswami’s 43 scalps have come against different batters.

Having played internationally for 20 long years Goswami had faced every opponent but took a certain liking for England, Australia, and New Zealand. Her biggest chunk of wickets (78) in ODIs came against England, followed by New Zealand (47) and Australia (30). Goswami’s exceptional ability with the white ball shines in the fact that the bowler had conceded more than six runs per over only on six occasions out of the 204 ODIs she played.

Goswami’s career is littered with such facts but none tops the best of all - a 355-wicket tally at the international level. The two cricketers following her are South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail (191) and Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick (180), who are nowhere close.

Goswami retired as the old veteran of Indian as well as world cricket, having won the 2007 ICC Women's Player of the Year, the prestigious Arjuna Award as well as the Padma Shri.

Her longevity and professionalism are a testament to what one can achieve with sheer dedication. Happy Birthday Jhulan Goswami!