Happy Birthday Jhulan Goswami: A Look at Five Astonishing Spells by ‘Chakdaha Express’
The star pacer made her debut way back in January 2002 and is still going strong after a decade and a half in International cricket. In 182 ODIs, Goswami has claimed 225 wickets with two five-wicket hauls. She also has 56 wickets in 68 T20I matches.
One of the best bowlers to have graced women’s cricket, Jhulan Goswami turns a year older on Monday. Born on November 25, 1982, the pacer celebrates her 37th birthday. Goswami is gifted with sheer pace and has rattled many prominent batting line-ups in her illustrious career. Be it taking wickets with the new ball or restricting the batswomen at death, the 'Chakdaha Express' has all the skills in her armoury and has guided India to many victories single-handedly. At present, the Kolkata-born player is the highest wicket-taker in Women’s ODIs. Along with being a fantastic bowler, the veteran is also a handy batswoman down the order. Sachin Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, Mithali Raj & Other Indian Cricketing Legends Take Lap of Honour at Eden Gardens in Kolkata (Watch Video).
The star pacer made her debut way back in January 2002 and is still going strong after a decade and a half in International cricket. In 182 ODIs, Goswami has claimed 225 wickets with two five-wicket hauls. She also has 56 wickets in 68 T20I matches. While in the longest format of the game, the bowler has claimed 40 wickets in just 10 outings. Talking about her numbers in the International arena, let’s look at five of the best spells by the Indian great.
5/16 Against England in Silchar
The fourth ODI of England Women’s 2005 Tour of India saw a Goswami special as the pacer delivered a breathtaking spell and rattled the visitor’s top-order. She took wickets upfront and in the backovers too. England had no clue whatsoever of how to tackle the pacer and they got bundled out for just fifty runs. India didn’t break a sweat while chasing the target and won the match by 10 wickets.
5/11 Against Australia in Vishakhapatnam
The pacer wreaked havoc in the fifth T20I of Australia 2012 Tour India and made the clash a mere one-sided encounter. Bowling against a potent Aussie batting line-up, the pacer bowled with hostility and took wickets at regular intervals. In the process, she also claimed her maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is which are still her best figures in the shortest format of the game. Courtesy her brilliance, the visitors were bundled out for 89 runs and later India clinched the clash by eight wickets.
3/23 Against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui
Goswami was at her prime in the second ODI of India Women’s 2019 Tour of New Zealand. She made the ideal use of the bowling conditions and bowled a sensational spell in the first innings of the match. She dismissed three opposition batswomen due to which the kiwis were packed for 161 in the first innings. The total was never going to be enough as India registered an eight-wicket victory.
6/31 Against New Zealand in Southgate
This spell will certainly go down as one of the best spells in a losing cause. In the sixth match of the 2011 Quadrangular Series, Goswami seemed at her best and ran through the white ferns’ batting line-up in their own den. Bowling first, the pacer claimed six wickets, which are her best figures in ODIs, and restricted the hosts to 201 in the first innings. However, India displayed a poor batting performance and lost the match by 39 runs.
5/33 & 5/45 Against England in Taunton
Goswami might have played a handful of Test matches but still has a tremendous record. Her best performance in the longest version of the game came in the second Test of India’s 2006 Tour of England. On a wicket where India piled up 307 in the first innings, Goswami dismantled the hosts’ batting line-up and her five-fer bundled them out for 99 in their first innings. In the last innings of the match, she claimed another five-wicket haul and India won the match by five wickets.
The pacer has announced retirement from the shortest format of the game and all her is on ODIs now. Goswami is aging like fine wine and it will be interesting to see at what stage her career will be ended. Nevertheless, her efforts are incomparable and will go down as one of the greatest pacers to have graced the game.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 25, 2019 08:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).