It is believed that a career in sports doesn't last for too long due to the physical aspects the player has to look forward to. Particularly, the biggest myth about cricket is that a bowler cannot have a longer career. When the game was already unfair for the bowlers in terms of recognition, busting these myths make the case of a bowler even worse. But amidst all the chaos, one bowler has stood tall, and has delivered the game enormously. The superwoman is Jhulan Goswami.
When a bowler playing for a decade is considered an achievement, the Chakdah Express has represented Women in Blue for more than 2 decades. It's a superhuman achievement for a bowler to play with so consistency for so long period. But overcoming every issue she faces, she carved her way to make it possible. In the process, she faces a lot of injuries, but she never let any affect her performance, which continues to dominate world cricket even today.
In a career spanning 2 decades, she broke and created newer and newer records. At this point, she has 41 wickets in the Women's world cup, which is the highest by any bowler in the world. The highest wicket-taker in the world, she scalped her 250th wicket in yesterday's match against England. She has proved her monopoly as the best bowler in the history of women's cricket. No one has come near her to date, and one can rarely do that in near future. That is visible from the fact that the second-highest wicket-taker in women's cricket is Cathryn Fitzpatrick who had 180 wickets to her name.
The difference of 70 wickets between the highest and the second-highest wicket-taker is enough to prove what a player Jhulan Goswami is. She is the only bowler to have crossed the 200 wicket mark in international cricket. Furthermore, she is the first and only bowler to have bowled a mammoth of 2000 plus overs in her long career serving Indian cricket and raising the bar of Tricolour every time she played. Even today, she continues to do so by being the spearhead while playing the 5th world cup in her career.
Her unrealistic career of 2 long decades has broken the stereotypes in the best possible way. She continues to be an inspiration for many women, as well as men out there who get to learn what dedication, consistency and hard work means for a player. Speaking highly about her, one of the finest all-rounders Ellyse Perry recently said "Not just me, but our entire team has tremendous respect for what she has done for the game, not just for the Indian team, but the whole of women's cricket globally ". These words from a player who has played the game show the level of respect they all have for Jhulan.
If there is one person in cricket I would always look forward to as a role model for all the women playing the game, it is undoubtedly Jhulan Goswami. Perry, Smriti, Harman and others are famous because of women's cricket. But Jhulan and Mithali are the ones who made women's cricket popular. Mithali being a batter is immense respect, but people often fail to recognise the contribution of Jhulan Goswami, as the game is unfair for the bowlers. I have immense respect for the tall Jhulan, who took bowling in women's cricket to a different height altogether. This is why I wish the Indian team wins this world cup for her, and her counterpart Mithali. Whether that will happen or not, only time will decide. But as long as cricket continues to be existing, Jhulan Goswami's name will always be written in golden words for what she has done. With all the heart and soul, we congratulate her for achieving the milestone of playing 200 ODI, which she will achieve tomorrow.
Authored By:- Ashwin Jangam ( Cricket Analyst, Host and Entertainer)
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