"My target is to keep my economy under 3" - Jhulan Goswami on not including bouncers in her arsenal
Veteran pacer Jhulan Goswami has disclosed the reason behind her disinterest in using bouncers in limited-overs cricket. She has stayed away from adding the bouncer to her bowling arsenal as she does not want to risk giving away a wide or any other form of extra.
Goswami further explained that playing conditions in India during the early part of her career influenced her to develop the mindset to avoid short balls and maintain an economy of around three runs per over. She has a career economy rate of 3.34 in ODI cricket after playing 195 matches, which indicates that she succeeded in that goal.
In an interview with The Cricket Monthly, Jhluan Goswami conveyed the reasons behind her reluctance to bowl bouncers and said:
"I never developed it like I did some of my other deliveries because playing on Indian wickets in the early 2000s, the very thought of bowling a bouncer was like building castles in the air. My target used to be to keep my economy under three, three and a half, so if I bowled a bouncer and if it was not good, chances were it could go for wides or I'd be hit for a boundary."
She added:
"So the circumstances weren't favourable for me to develop the bouncer as well as, say, the Australians or English bowlers, and that's why I hardly take chances with the bouncer even now. I try to stick to wicket-to-wicket bowling."
Jhulan Goswami's journey is nothing short of inspirational 🙌
Leading India's pace attack, will she lift the World Cup this time? 🤔
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"I think we will even see some bowlers touching 130kph on a frequent basis" - Jhulan Goswami on future of fast bowling in Women's cricket
Jhulan Goswami believes that the pace of the bowlers will hover around the 130 kph mark regularly in the upcoming years with the advancement in fitness standards and adequate knowledge of biomechanics.
Optimistic about the further improvement of pace bowlers in women's cricket, the 39-year old said:
"I think pace is going to improve and get to around 120-25-plus, and that will become a feature in most top teams. Earlier 110-115kph used to be good speed and would challenge batters, but improved fitness, understanding of biomechanics and use of better pitches will encourage bowlers to try and raise their pace. I think we will even see some bowlers touching 130kph on a frequent basis, while the standard will be between 118 and 125."
After resting for the fourth ODI against New Zealand, Jhulan Goswami played the final ODI of the series today. India managed to pick up a consolation win due to fine performances from both the batting and bowling departments. India lost the series 1-4.
Jhulan Goswami had an off day as she failed to pick up a wicket after bowling seven overs in the game.