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Jhulan Goswami

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Jhulan Goswami is a former professional cricketer from India. She is widely considered one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the sport. During her career, she played for the India women's national cricket team from 2002 to 2022. Goswami was a right-arm medium fast bowler and a right-handed batter. She was known for her speed and skill on the field. Her long career helped shape the way women's cricket is played today.

To understand her success, one must look at her early dedication. Goswami was born on 25 November 1982, in Chakdaha, West Bengal. She was originally a football fan. Her interest in cricket grew while watching the 1992 Cricket World Cup on television. Later, she watched Belinda Clark play in the 1997 Women's Cricket World Cup. At that time, her hometown of Chakdaha lacked cricket facilities. To train properly, she had to travel to Kolkata. This commitment led her to the Bengal women's cricket team and eventually to the national stage.

Goswami's international career involved two main types of matches. She played in One Day Internationals, or ODIs, which are limited-overs matches. She also played in Test matches, which are longer formats of the game. She made her international debut in 2002 against England in Chennai. Her Test debut also occurred in 2002 against England in Lucknow. In the 2006–07 season, she and teammate Mithali Raj led India to its first Test series victory in England. During a match at Taunton, she achieved career-best figures of 10/78. This meant she took five wickets in the first innings and five in the second.

Throughout her career, Goswami reached many historic milestones. In 2008, she became the fourth woman to reach 100 wickets in ODIs. She was the first woman to reach 200 wickets in one-day cricket on 7 February 2018. By March 2022, she became the first bowler to take 250 wickets in WODI cricket. She also became the highest wicket-taker in Women's Cricket World Cup history, surpassing Lyn Fullston. Her total international tally reached 355 wickets across 284 games. She also scored 1,922 runs with three half-centuries.

Her skill earned her several prestigious honors and rankings. In 2007, she won the ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year award. She held the number one spot in the ICC Women's ODI bowling rankings in 2016 and again in 2019. Goswami was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2010. In 2012, she received the Padma Shri, which is a high civilian honor in India. She was only the second Indian woman cricketer to receive this award. In 2018, the Indian government even issued a postage stamp in her honor.

Goswami's leadership and impact extended to her role as a captain. She took over the captaincy of the Indian team from Mithali Raj in 2008. She held this position until 2011 and captained the side in 25 ODIs. Even as a player, she helped the team reach major heights. For example, she was part of the squad that reached the final of the 2017 Women's Cricket World Cup. Although India lost to England by nine runs, the achievement was significant. In November 2020, she was nominated for the ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the Decade award.

Today, her legacy is preserved through media and coaching. A biopic titled "Chakda Xpress" traces her journey from the nets in Kolkata to Lord's in London. The film is directed by Prosit Roy and stars Anushka Sharma. This makes her the second Indian female cricketer to have a biographical film. After retiring from international cricket in September 2022, she moved into coaching. In February 2023, she joined the Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League. She serves there as a bowling coach and a mentor to new players.

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File:The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil presenting the Padma Shri Award to Ms. Jhulan Goswami, at an Investiture Ceremony I, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on March 22, 2012.jpg
The President, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh...
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