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Jhulan Goswami cited getting the India cap as the cricketing career’s most memorable moment.
“My best memory is when I got the India cap and bowled the first over because I never imagined (that I will play for India). The journey was difficult as I had to travel for two-and-half hours by local train one way everyday for training.” She recollected how the 1997 Women’s World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand at the Eden Gardens, watched by close to 90,000 people, fuelled her ambitions.
“In 1997, I was a ball girl at the Eden Gardens where I saw my first women’s World Cup final. From that day, my dream was to represent India,” she said.
Jhulan Goswami, one of India’s greatest fast bowlers, stated on the eve of her farewell international match on Saturday that her “one regret” in an otherwise stellar 20-year career was not being able to win an ODI World Cup.
After Saturday’s third One-Day International against England at venerable Lord’s, Goswami will call it quits.
Goswami, who was visibly moved, expressed her gratitude to the game for providing her fame and notoriety, but she insisted that she would not cross off the achievement of finishing second in the 50-over World Cup in 2005 and 2017.
“I have played two World Cup finals but couldn’t win the trophy. That remains my only regret because you prepare fa World Cup for four years. There is a lot of hardwork. For every cricketer, it is a dream-come-true moment to win a World Cup,” the 39-year-old right-arm pacer said on the eve of her final international match.
“When I started I never thought of playing for such a long time. It was great experience. I am fortunate to play the sport. Honestly, coming from a humble background and a small town like Chakdah (in West Bengal’s Nadia district) I didn’t know anything about women’s cricket,” said the legend.
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