Jhulan Goswami retires from women’s International cricket

• Jhulan Goswami plays her final one-day international at Lord’s on Saturday.
• Goswami is playing her 204th and final game, retiring from international cricket.
• Finishes as top wicket-taker in women’s one day internationals with 253 wickets.

Jhulan Goswami, probably the best fast bowler in women’s cricket history, is playing her 204th and final one-day international.

On Saturday at Lord’s, one of cricket’s all-time greats will say goodbye to his career.

Goswami, 39, entered her final game before retiring as the women’s ODIs’ top wicket-taker with 253 wickets in 204 games.

In January 2002, she faced off against England in Chennai at the age of 19.

Goswami has also competed in 86 Twenty20 internationals and 12 Test matches, with her final Twenty20 game coming in 2018.

Her final goodbye is held at Lord’s, where India fell to England in the 2017 World Cup final by a score of nine runs, her second final in which she participated and lost.

She does, however, exit international cricket with India leading 2-0 and having won their first series in England since 1999.

“I’d like to thank the BCCI, my team-mates, my coaches, my captains – everyone. Thank you for this opportunity, this is a special moment,” Goswami said before the match.

“When I started my career in 2002, I played my first series against England and I’m ending against England. The most important thing is that we’re 2-0 up in this series.

“Each and every moment has emotions for me. The 2017 World Cup, the way our team came back and fought – nobody initially thought that we were going to be in a final. But the way we played in that tournament was something different.”

Goswami and Mithali, the two players who for 20 years kept India’s squad together and are the all-time leaders in runs scored in women’s ODIs, have both retired in the last six months.

The duo has consistently been a part of India’s lineup as they have recently begun to compete more closely with nations like England and Australia, making it to the final of that tournament in 2017 as well as the finals of the T20 World Cup in 2020 and the Commonwealth Games earlier this year.

In 2023, there will also be a women’s version of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“Women’s cricket in India slowly and gradually picking up. We can motivate young girls to play sport and have a career option in cricket,” said Goswami.

Since her debut, women’s cricket has become increasingly professional, and Goswami marks a new age in the sport.

However, she has kept up with the pace, promoting the upcoming young talent from India while upholding her own high standards for assiduity and consistency.

Goswami’s teammates and opponents have both heaped praise on her career.

“It’s not just what she does on the pitch, she’s an absolutely lovely human,” said England batter Tammy Beaumont.

“She’s been great for the game and she’ll be a very big loss but I think it’s great that she gets to have a good send off at Lord’s.”

“I’ve learnt so much from her on the cricket field but what I shall always treasure is knowing the person she was off the field,” said India all-rounder Shikha Pandey.

“I hardly found it easy bowling alongside her because everyone wanted me to be her, such are the standards she set for the bowlers coming into the side. Her work ethics were second to none and they inspired me to get better every day.”

Mithali added: “The impact she has had in women’s cricket at the global level is immense.

“She has been a great ambassador for the sport and youngsters took to fast bowling after seeing her bowl for India.”

Cathryn Fitzpatrick, an Australian bowler who holds the record for being the fastest female bowler of all time, was incredibly accurate and one of the fastest back then. When she was around, people used to avoid her. She was incredibly brutal and aggressive, and I wanted to model myself after her.

“Generally, Aussie cricketers are very ruthless people on the field. So I had to change my behaviour on the field to be rough and tough, like her.

“I used to ask her how she prepared. I used to try to implement all those things whenever I came back home and I used to try to improve my skills that way.

“So yeah, she was a big influence, bowling fast and she she used to win the matches for Australia single-handedly. I used to enjoy doing those things. And I always believe if you want to win the matches for your country then you have to think out of the box, which is what Fitzy did.”

One more time – all best @JhulanG10 Enjoy it. We are so thankful for you 🙏@HomeOfCricket #alegendretires pic.twitter.com/8jH2kzpQ7m

— Isa Guha (@isaguha) September 24, 2022

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