India@75 Sports Legends: Jhulan Goswami - An inspiration for the next breed of Indian bowlers
India has turned 75 in terms of independence. And, this independent India has seen numerous legendary sportspersons. Also, women's cricketer Jhulan Goswami has opened the gates for a new breed of Indian bowlers.
FollowIt has been a landmark of 75 years since India gained independence. As India celebrates this special Independence Day, we celebrate the Indian sporting legends to date. In terms of cricket, we also have icons in the female division of the sport, and one of them happens to be Indian pacer Julan Goswami.
The 39-year-old Indian pacer has done winders and has impacted world cricket for long enough, besides terrorising the batters with her sheer pace and wicket-taking abilities. Born in the small town of Chakdaha in West Bengal, she was inspired by watching the 1992 World Cup and Belinda Clark play. However, she travelled to Kolkata to train for the sport as her town did not have enough cricket training facilities.
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In 2002, she made her debut in the One-Day Internationals (ODIs), followed by the Tests the same month of her debut. She instantly made an impact, while four years later, she also made it to the Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). As for the Tests, she has not played limited games, claiming 44 wickets from 12 at an average of 17.36, including three fifers and a couple of four-fors.
Her best success came in the ODIs, as she bagged 240 wickets in 191 innings at an average of 21.59 and a 3.31 economy, including seven four-for and a couple of fifers. As for the T20Is, she claimed 56 from 67 at an economy of 5.45, along with a fifer. She also became the captain of the side in 2008, taking over the reins from fellow legend Mithali Raj.
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Jhulan also helped India reach the ICC Women's World Cup final in 2017 but failed to give India its elusive title yet. Despite India failing to win any ICC trophy for India, she has scripted records and is undoubtedly one of the fast-bowling legends for India. Her legacy will also be portrayed in the Chakdah Express movie. At the same time, the lead role of Jhulan was played by Anushka Sharma, wife of former Indian skipper and legend Virat Kohli.
As for some of her records:
- She helped India register its first-ever Test series win in England (2006-07).
- She is the fourth woman to claim 100 ODI wickets.
- She is the highest wicket-taker in ODIs.
- She is the first to claim 200 ODI wickets.
- She is the first Indian woman cricketer to have a biopic on her name.
Below are some of the awards she has received to date:
- ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year - 2007
- Arjuna Award - 2010
- Padma Shri - 2012
