"The Lord's game is very special for us because it's Jhulan's retirement"- Harmanpreet Kaur eager to give Goswami a triumphant farewell
Harmanpreet Kaur, India’s skipper has confirmed that the Lord’s ODI on September 24 (Saturday) will be veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami's retirement match.
Goswami, whose career has spanned 20 years, is the leading wicket-taker in ODIs.
"The Lord's game is very special for us because it's Jhulan's retirement and we wanted to enjoy that game without any pressure and I'm really happy that we were able to win today and now we can just have fun in that game,” Harmanpreet said after India’s historic victory against England at Canterbury.
Riding an unbeaten 143 off 111 deliveries from the skipper, India won the second ODI against England by 88 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
It was a clinical all-round performance from India as they outplayed the hosts in all three facets of the game. After the match, Harmapreet said it was important to seal the series in Canterbury.
"When you win the first game, the second game is always important and we always try to finish that game as a winning side and today also we were looking at that only because we don't want to carry any extra pressure on ourselves going to Lord's," Harmanpreet added.
Jhulan Goswami: A name that will be etched in the annals of world cricket
The final match at Lord’s will be the first time England and India will meet in a women's ODI at the iconic venue since an eventful 2017 World Cup final. India went on to lose that game after dominating it for the most part. Harmapreet expressed her desire to give Jhulan a fitting farewell with a victory at Lord’s.
"It's very important [to win] because that will be her last match. It will be a very emotional moment for all of us and we definitely want to win that game. Moreover, after winning the series now we just want to have fun because I know it's the last game for her,” Harmanpreet quipped.
Making her international debut way back in 2002, Goswami established herself as one of the vital cogs of the Indian team.
In February 2018, she became the first bowler in women’s cricket to bag 200 ODI wickets. The fast bowler was named in the Indian squad for the England series after missing the previous one against Sri Lanka.
🏴🏏
Jhulan Goswami will be playing her final international series starting today when India take on England 🇮🇳🏴🏏
An absolute legend of Indian cricket 🙌
#ENGvIND #CricketTwitter https://t.co/bbmmAc5FuF
Harmanpreet Kaur powers India to their second highest ODI total
India posted their second-highest ODI total in the second match, scoring 333/5 in 50 overs. Harmanpreet went berserk in the final overs as India scored 62 runs in the last three.
After completing a run-a-ball century, Harmanpreet took a liking to Freya Kemp and the Indian skipper blasted 43 runs off her last 11 deliveries.
Brutal Power hitting of Harmanpreet Kaur.
https://t.co/wFoOuI6x80
England lost early wickets but a brilliant knock by Danielle Wyatt kept them in the game. After Renuka Thakur castled her with a swinging yorker, the writing was all but on the wall.
Charlotte Dean delayed the inevitable for some time but, overall, it was a resounding victory for India. It also marked India’s first ODI series win on English soil in 23 years.