'Not winning any World Cup trophy remains my only regret' - Jhulan ahead of farewell match

By Team Newsable | First Published Sep 23, 2022, 4:53 PM IST

Jhulan Goswami is set to retire from international cricket on Saturday, playing her final ODI against England at Lord's. Meanwhile, despite having a great career, she regrets not winning the World Cup.

Unable to win the ICC Women's World Cup happens to be her "only regret" in an otherwise sterling two-decade career for Indian fast bowling great Jhulan Goswami ahead of her conclusive international game against England at the Lord's Cricket Ground in London for the final One-Day International (ODI) on Saturday. An emotional Goswami expressed that she is thankful to the game for giving her everything she has earned. However, finishing as the runner-up during the 2005 and 2017 ICC Women's World Cup will remain unticked for her.

"I have played two World Cup finals but couldn't win the trophy. My only regret since you have been preparing for a World Cup for four years. There is a lot of hard work. For every cricketer, it is a dream-come-true moment to win a World Cup," Jhulan said during the pre-match press conference on Friday.

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"When I started, I never thought of playing for such a long time. It was a great experience. I am fortunate to play the sport. I came from a humble background and a small town like Chakdah [Nadia district of West Bengal]. I didn't know anything about women's cricket [back then]," said the legend.

Goswami recalled that receiving the India cap on her debut was the most unforgettable moment of her cricketing voyage. "My best memory is when I got the India cap and bowled the first over because I never imagined [that I would play for India]. The journey was difficult as I had to travel for two-and-half hours by local train one way every day for training," she asserted.

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Jhulan reflected how the 1997 WWC final between Australia and New Zealand at the iconic Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata, watched by almost 90,000 fans, drove her purposes. "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.

(With inputs from PTI)

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