Harmanpreet Kaur praises Jhulan Goswami: “Even in my worst times, she was the one who stood by me.”

Goswami officially confirmed her retirement earlier this week, with her final ODI against England at Lord’s Cricket Ground. Jhulan Goswami is the only women’s ODI bowler to have competed more than 200 matches and taken 250 wickets. The veteran Indian fast bowler played her final T20 International in 2018 and her final Test match in 2021. Jhulan has 255 ODI wickets, with South African pacer Shabnim Ismail coming in second with 191.

Thank you everyone! 🙏🏾 @BCCI @BCCIWomen pic.twitter.com/8TWq8SfxDj

— Jhulan Goswami (@JhulanG10) September 25, 2022

The Indian team presented Goswami with a tribute at the start of the game. The ECB also honored her with a jersey signed by the squad members. In a touching gesture, India captain Harmanpreet Kaur also allowed Goswami to call the toss. “Each and every moment has a lot of emotions,” Goswami told reporters.

“You’ve put in a lot of work. But after our team came back and fought in the 2017 World Cup, no one gave us a chance to play in the final. We played differently in that tournament, and since then, women’s cricket in India has slowly and steadily improved,” she continued.

Harmanpreet stated during the post-match presentation ceremony that the iconic cricketer backed her not only in good times but also in bad. Harmanpreet made her India debut in 2009, captained by Goswami.

Records galore 🔝

A legacy to be proud of 👍

Thank you @JhulanG10 👏 👏#TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/Ib4knV2eyn

— BCCI Women (@BCCIWomen) September 24, 2022

“When I made my debut, she was the leader. In my best times, many people supported me, but even in my worst times, she was the one who stood by me. She is only a phone call away. I wanted to express my gratitude and assure her that she is always with us. She is a go-to person. I always called her when I was down, and she was always there to guide me,” Harmanpreet said.

Harmanpreet also disagreed that Goswami’s farewell game was tainted by her controversial dismissal. “I don’t think so, because, as I previously stated, I don’t believe we committed any crime. I don’t think we need to discuss it because the first nine wickets were also crucial, and everyone was working so hard. It was a reasonably obtainable total, but with the way our bowlers bowled and the entire team putting in the initiative, there was a lot to rejoice other than the last wicket,” she concluded.