Jhulan Goswami: The Giant Babul of Bengal

Jhulan Goswami is quite capable with the bat, as well

When asked about the difference she feels between the men’s and the women’s version of cricket, she replied, “Except for the obvious difference in raw power, everything is same. There is no leeway given, as far as rules go, for women. The boundary is a little shorter, and the ball half an ounce lighter to fit into a girl’s palm, but other than that, nothing is different. Yes, the ground-clearing sixes aren’t as common. But the cover drives and square cuts and pulls are all present, as are the bouncers.”

Jhulan’s idol is the legendary Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath, whom she met a few years back during a training session.

“He’s a bowling machine, simply outstanding. Talking to him was a wonderful learning opportunity. He passed on some useful tips.” She just couldn’t hide her excitement about meeting the legend.

She has now crossed 30, and, with time not on her side and new faces pushing for her spot, she works very hard to keep herself in shape.

“Sports injuries are very common and I thrive to strengthen myself each day. Being a fast bowler, niggles will always be there, and they are a part and parcel of what I do. Fortunately for me, I haven’t had anything big to worry about, and I hope nothing of that sort happens in the future, too. I hope to continue bowling the same way.”

She said in an interview with Zee news after receiving the ever prestigious Padma Shree award of honour from the Indian government. When asked about that, she said with a blush:

“To be a recipient of Padma Shree is a great honour and it is the biggest achievement of my life so far. It is a very emotional and a proud moment for me. It was a bit of a surprise first of all as I was not expecting it. I didn’t even know my name was in the list of probables, but it gives me great pleasure to be chosen for the award along with five other sports personalities.”

She has nearly achieved it all on the field, but, when asked about her biggest dream, she exclaimed, “To win the World Cup for the country is the ultimate goal for me.”

Debuting in 2002, Goswami has been the captain of national squad and was the key factor in the historical series triumph in England. She has taken over 150 wickets in ODIs at an average of 21 and also comes in pretty handy with the bat.

Off the field, Goswami is fond of chit chatting with friends, playing badminton, volleyball and watching movies. Her favourite actor is Aamir Khan. Other than cricket she loves Diego Maradona, Roger Federer and Usain Bolt.

The stadiums are generally empty and carry an eerie silence during the T20 and ODI matches, leave alone Tests. The players don’t find enough facilities for training. The funds are hard to come by, and BCCI schedules very less number of matches for women, hardly one or two per year. There are 2 domestic championships and a world cup every four years. The only things that can be found in plenty are tons of talent and lots of time to waste!

This is just so ironic just because of the fact that we are talking about an Indian national cricket team. Somebody like Goswami, who is probably the most popular female Indian cricketer in the world, must be disheartened by the fact that her own countrymen don’t even recognise her outside her locality.

“In Australia and England, they even have their version of Ashes. There, the women cricket is taken very seriously.” She said.

The attitude of the BCCI has improved towards the state of women’s cricket in the past 5 years, but still a lot needs to be done to give it the mainstream popularity that it deserves as per the Bengali spearhead. They have already struggled for over two decades to get their due recognition; it’s about time we start to understand and appreciate the importance of women’s cricket in India.