"I was not able to tie my laces" - Jhulan Goswami on injuries forcing her to retire
Jhulan Goswami has disclosed that the plethora of injuries she suffered towards the end of her career forced her to retire from international cricket.
Jhulan picked up 355 wickets in the 284 matches she played for India across all three formats. She called it a day in September 2022 after India's ODI series win against England in the latter's backyard.
During an interaction with Anjum Chopra on her YouTube channel, Jhulan Goswami was asked whether there was a huge gap between when she thought about retirement and when it actually happened at Lord's, to which she replied:
"I had decided after the 2022 50-over World Cup itself that I had to take retirement because I was not enjoying as a cricketer as I was getting injured. Day by day I was getting fickle injuries and then to do rehab after that. It was like a setback for me for a long time."
The former Indian pacer added:
"The injury was so bad in New Zealand, that after returning from there, I wasn't able to sleep properly, I was not able to turn on my left side, I was not able to tie my laces. It was a very bad side strain. It was the worst among all the injuries I have faced."
Jhulan had to sit out India's last league game against South Africa at the 2022 World Cup due to her injury. Mithali Raj and Co. lost the game by three wickets to bow out of the tournament.
"Before going to England also I had that pain" - Jhulan Goswami
Jhulan Goswami stated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials talked her into retiring on the field of play:
"When I came to India and spoke to the officials, they said - 'Go play and then retire'. Then I had to go and do rehab again. I was in the NCA for one month. Before going to England also I had that pain."
The 204-ODI veteran concluded by thanking the board officials for allowing her to get a farewell game:
"When I stopped bowling, the pain went away. But yes, the officials asked me to take a decision and announce my retirement on the ground. Thanks to BCCI, all officials, they allowed me to do that and it was a great opportunity."
Jhulan registered figures of 2/30 in 10 overs in her final ODI at Lord's. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co. defeated England by 16 runs to win the series 3-0 and give a fitting send-off to the most successful bowler in women's ODIs.