Jhulan ‘Chakdaha Express’ Goswami retires but not before bringing Indian Women’s Cricket on track

Jhulan Goswami's been the leader of the Indian pace attack for years (PC: Twitter)

With the legendary Jhulan Goswami hanging her boots, many articles will be written on the torch bearer of Indian Women’s cricket. Budding writers and fans like myself will fall short of words to describe her legacy, but the ‘Chakdaha Express’ will never falter in her art.

Jhulan still has fuel left in her tank and the passion for churning long spells for her country. She can still rattle world-class batters’ off-stump, leaving them bamboozled with her skill. 

Now, every cricket fan would hope for one final hurrah when she features in her last match in the Indian colours on 24th September at Lord's Cricket Ground.

Who would not like to see another peach from Jhulan’s arsenal, like the one that caught Meg Lanning off-guard in ICC World Cup 2017 semi-final?

Why has Jhulan Goswami been indispensable over the years?

Jhulan has awe-inspiring credentials to her name. The tall pacer with a high-arm action is the most successful bowler in ODIs, with 253 wickets (and counting) to her name. While the numbers in every format speak for themselves, there’s much more to her than the stats.

Jhulan’s the ideal embodiment of what Joseph Kennedy described-

               “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”

Whenever the Women in Blue required early wickets, Jhulan delivered. She has been handed the ball on innumerable occasions when the team needed a breakthrough. The ever-dependable pacer bowled continuously at one spot, playing with the batters’ minds in the corridor of uncertainty.

While difficult to score off, Jhulan’s exploits with the bat are highly underrated. A handy lower-order bat, she smashed quite a few sixes and propelled the score. In her debut year in 2002, Jhulan (62) put on a 157-run partnership with Mithali Raj (214) in a Test against England at Taunton. An epic way to announce herself on the international stage, isn’t it?

Why has Jhulan’s journey been so inspiring?

A career spanning over twenty years is no piece of cake, especially for a fast bowler. Jhulan has had her share of injuries, but her will to overcome the obstacles is nothing less than exemplary.

Where did she derive the energy from? Perhaps, the struggle in her early playing days moulded her into a dogged shield–

• Travelling for over two and a half hours on a local train from her hometown, Chakdaha, to Kolkata for practice.
• Unrestrained remarks from relatives for playing cricket instead of focussing on her studies as a middle-class girl.
• Thriving in an environment where the idea of playing cricket was limited to the male population

These early challenges must have strengthened her resolve and fuelled her passion. From being a ball girl in the 1997 World Cup Final to being referred to as ‘GOATswami’ by fans, Jhulan has come a long way. 

The Indian team will miss their ‘Jhulu Di' on the field, and so will the fans. She has served long, altering the face of Indian Women's cricket and now the onus lies on young pacers to carry her legacy forward.

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