Most successful woman bowler Jhulan Goswami to play her last match at Lords today as India & England lock horns in third & last ODI of series

Most successful woman bowler Jhulan Goswami to play her last match at Lords today as India & England lock horns in third & last ODI of series

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The Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian women’s cricket team will take on England in the third and last ODI of the series at Lord’s today, September 24.

This match will also be a swansong for ace pacer Jhulan Goswami. The 39-year-old fast bowler from West Bengal is among the greatest players India has ever produced. No doubt, it will be an emotional moment for Jhulan and her fans. The 3rd ODI will start today at 3:30 PM IST.

AIR Correspondent reports, roughly 29 years ago when a lanky 19-year-old girl from Chakdaha donned an Indian jersey, her current teammates Shefali Verma and Richa Ghosh were not even born and her Captain  Harmanpreet Kaur was still a kid dreaming of playing for India.  

At a time when sportspersons have relatively short careers, Jhulan’s two-decade-long journey as a fast bowler is a perfect example of longevity. She was earmarked for a leadership role when she was named vice-captain of the national team ahead of the tour of England in 2006. 

There, she helped India to the Test series win, including their first victory against England. Making a fifty as a night watchman in the first Test at Leicester, she took her career-best match figures of 10 for 78, 5 for 33, and 5 for 45 in the second Test at Taunton. Such feats made her the Player of the Series and also brought recognition at the Castrol Awards in Mumbai in September, where she received a Special Award.

Adding a feather in her cap, she also won the ICC Women’s Player of Year in 2007 – a year no Indian male player bagged any individual award. Soon after, she was elevated to the captain of the national team. In 2010, she was conferred with the prestigious Arjuna Award. A Padma Shri followed two years later.  

Apart from pace bowling, Goswami is a more-than-handy lower-order batsman. Goswami partnered Mithali Raj for a better part of her record-breaking 214 against England at Taunton in 2002. 

The pair added 157, with Goswami chipping in with 62. England was also the scene of India’s one-off Test win in 2014, where Goswami triggered the hosts’ slide with a four-wicket haul to set up the win. In 2015, she was one of four senior players who were handed the highest grade of central contracts by BCCI for the first time. 

A veteran, of 283 international games for India, will play her last match against England at Lord. If the BCCI   will institute a ‘Hall of Fame’ for women’s cricket in India, Jhulan Goswami would certainly feature the highest place. 

In May, she surpassed Cathryn Fitzpatrick to become the highest wicket-taker in women’s ODI history. Now, she doubles up as a mentor to a young group of fast bowlers coming through the ranks in India.