Jhulan Goswami plays her first-ever ODI for India women without Mithali Raj in the team
Veteran Indian pacer Jhulan Goswami is playing the last international series of her career. This series, against England, got underway on Sunday, September 18, at Hove. Amazingly, at the fag end of her career, Jhulan is playing an ODI for the first time where she doesn't have former India captain Mithali Raj as her teammate.
Prior to this match, Jhulan played 201 ODIs, with each of them remarkably featuring Mithali as a common teammate. The former India captain retired from the game earlier this year after a long and illustrious career for the national team.
India have won the toss and elected to field in the first #ENGvIND ODI in Hove đź“° https://t.co/TeoWCr9wTA
Jhulan will look to leave international cricket on a high. The 39-year-old will likely play her farewell match in the third ODI against the hosts at Lord’s on Saturday (September 24).
This is the first time ever Jhulan Goswami is playing an ODI match for India without Mithali Raj in the team.
From 2002 to 2022, Jhulan played 201 ODIs before this match with each of them remarkably featuring Mithali as common teammate.
#ENGvIND
The speedster made her India debut in January 2002 and never looked back. She is the highest-ever wicket-taker in ODIs, with 252 wickets in 201 matches. She has also represented the country in 12 Tests and 68 T20Is with 44 and 56 wickets, respectively.
The right-arm pacer represented India in six World Cups. The lanky seamer from Chakda in West Bengal is playing for India after a gap of around six months. She last played for the national team during the ODI World Cup in New Zealand in March and missed India’s final match of the tournament due to an injury.
“Nobody can fill in her shoes”- Harmanpreet Kaur on Jhulan Goswami’s contribution to Indian cricket team
Team India captain Harmanpreet Kaur will look to give a fitting farewell to Jhulan Goswami by winning against England women in the ODI series.
In a press conference, Harmanpreet said:
“When I made my debut, she was the captain. It’s a great opportunity for me that I would be leading the side when she would be playing her last ODI. When I entered the team, she was the one who was leading from the front. I’ve learnt a lot from her, and nobody can fill in her shoes.”
The skipper added:
“She’s a great example for all of us. Many back home have grown up watching her and then took up the sport.”
Meanwhile, Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma is currently shooting for Chakda Xpress, which will be a biopic on the life of Jhulan Goswami.
The film is slated to be released on the streaming platform Netflix later this year.