LSeptember 24, 2022, was a day about Jhulan Goswami – until it wasn’t anymore. A final tribute to her 20-year international career; England players escorted by a guard of honor as she batted for the final time; taking two wickets to complete 355 matches in her career. Then, as England were on the verge of a seemingly impossible win, Deepti Sharma caught up to Charlie Dean’s replacement and all hell broke loose.
A year and a half later, Goswami is enjoying retirement: she’s spending time with her family, working for West Bengal’s state association, helping develop the next generation of female cricketers and winning the Women’s Super League title for the first time in 2017. She serves as a bowling coach and mentor for the Mumbai Indians. But the giant of Indian women’s cricket remains angry at the way her retirement match ended.
However, it has nothing to do with Sharma’s behavior. “Dipti made the right decision,” Goswami said. “It was absolutely within the law.” Her anger focused on what she saw as the hypocrisy of largely British spectators and England players, who ensured Goswami’s exit was carried out to a chorus of boos, while England The players could not hide their disgust at the incident. Heather Knight even accused Sharma of lying about the incident.
“In 2019 [men’s] In the World Cup final, the ball hit Ben Stokes’ bat and went out for a boundary. Goswami said. “You can say they shouldn’t be playing these matches. Deepti acted within the law but the opposition was not happy. But when this is the World Cup final and the ball hits the bat and goes for the boundary, you take away these four ball.
“Do you want to keep the spirit of the game alive? Then do that, whether you’re playing in a World Cup final or just a bilateral series. You [England] Should say: “That’s the spirit of the game, I’m not going to take those four.” Or, you want to act within the law – then [Stokes’s boundary] is within the scope of the law. But you also have to respect Deepti’s exhaustion. I don’t think the discussion should continue. “
Whether you agree with Goswami or not, everyone will agree that the day took away from the focus of what should have been a celebration of her incredible career, and that will always be disappointing. The fast bowler represented India in 284 matches between 2002 and 2022, helping transform women’s cricket in India from a completely amateur affair to one where leading players can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Goswami grew up in a conservative Bengali family and with no money she had to pursue her love of cricket, waking up at 4.30am at the age of 15 to make a five-hour round trip just to train. But after making her debut for India against England in January 2002, she never looked back. Her speed (up to 75 mph at her peak), combined with the jumping ability afforded by her 5-foot-11 frame, proved to be a lethal combination. By 2008, she became the world’s number one bowler and ended her career as the leading wicket-taker of all time.
Even so, for the first two-thirds of her career, her achievements went under the radar. The turning point, she said, was the 2017 World Cup, when India eliminated Australia in the semi-finals, ensuring they would face hosts England in the final. Before that game, Goswami played in front of a sell-out crowd at Lord’s and was uncomfortably aware of the magnitude of the occasion: “I couldn’t sleep. I had goosebumps all over my body and it was such a mess of emotions. . I paced the room, trying to calm myself down. “Relax, enjoy it, imagine bowling in front of a sold-out crowd at Lord’s.” “
“We lost and England chose to bat. I said, ‘I’m going to get my first job done’ so I could settle down. I was very excited and everything went according to our plan. We controlled the game in the 90th over. ” But the Indian team failed miserably, losing 219 to 229, dashing their dream of winning the World Cup for the first time. Goswami described it as heartbreaking.
But knowing what happened next, she is now able to look back on the day calmly. “When we came back to India, we realized that people had followed it ball by ball. How much respect we got and everyone from the Prime Minister of our country to the common people supported us. Women’s cricket boomed after that Development – our girls were getting central contracts and becoming household names. Young girls in our country were starting to dream.”
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For Goswami, retirement was very reluctant. When she was told that it was beyond the call of duty as a fast bowler to continue playing until the age of 39, she interrupted: “James Anderson was still playing at 41.” However, she admits that in After suffering an injury midway through the 2022 World Cup, her body was ready to quit: “I wanted to push myself, but my body couldn’t support me enough.”
If anyone was wondering whether she still got it, they should have netted before last year’s inaugural WPL final. Goswami decided she wanted one last chance to hand the ball to Mumbai Indians head coach and long-time rival Charlotte Edwards. “I rescued her 12 times internationally. I said to her: ‘Can I have a chance to rescue you a 13th time?’ ” She said, “No, you can’t.” “Eventually she accepted it – I’ve let her out 13 times now.”
As a trailblazer in women’s cricket, it is fitting that Goswami plays a central role in the WPL, the sport’s latest landmark development. When the team she and Edwards led won its first championship, no one was surprised. Their secret? “As a support staff, we work hard to create a healthy atmosphere in the locker room and make sure we enjoy each other’s success. You can’t control the cricket ball, but at least we can control the locker room area.”
Mumbai Indians will begin their second WPL campaign on Friday with the opener being a rematch of last year’s final against Delhi Capitals. Goswami is coaching a squad full of talent – Nat Seaver-Brent, Harmanpreet Kaur and Hailey Matthews all return while they Shabnim Ismail was picked at auction this season – and is confident of success again this time around. “We are well prepared as a team,” she said. “We are ready.”
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