Jhulan Goswami retires from T20 Internationals

She played 68 T20 Internationals and took 56 wickets at an economy rate of 5.45.

The 35-year-old will only play ODIs (as India doesn’t play Test cricket), in which she is the world’s highest wicket-taker with 203 scalps from 169 games. Of late, her lack of wickets in shortest version was coming under the scanner and her big-hitting abilities at the back end was also on the wane.

A trigger would have been the underwhelming performance at the Asia Cup where India lost to Bangladesh twice, including in the final. Goswami, who opened the bowling, got only one wicket in four matches and never looked penetrative enough. The fastest woman pacer from India has lost out on a bit of speed and she is also not the quickest on the field.

“Goswami thanked the BCCI and her teammates for all the love and support she garnered during her stint with the T20I team and wished them luck going forward,” the BCCI stated. With Shikha Pandey ready to take over as pace spearhead and young guns like Puja Vastrakar and Mansi Joshi showing promise, it was time for the Bengal speedster to make way for the Gen-Next.

Hailing from a nondescript town of Chakdah in West Bengal’s Nadia district, Goswami’s journey was also one of breaking stereotypes.

It started off with challenging the boys in her locality for pace and then the backbreaking early morning train journeys to Kolkata for training at South Kolkata’s Vivekananda Park.

Although she played only 10 Tests in a 16-year-old career, Jhulan took 40 wickets, including a 10-wicket haul against the English women at Taunton. 

India’s ace woman pacer Jhulan Goswami, who announced her retirement from T20I on Thursday, said she now wants to focus on One-Day Internationals only, adding it was becoming difficult to continue playing both formats simultaneously.

“This was something I had been thinking for a long time. I want to concentrate on ODIs now and I feel I was not able to give my best in both formats,” said Jhulan. Asked if her decision would impact the team’s performance with less than three months to go for the Women’s World Twenty20, Goswami said: “I think the team has some very good players. I can’t talk about whether they will find my replacement or not but I am sure with the kind of talent we have, we will keep doing well as a unit.”

Jhulan is the leading wicket-taker for India women with 56 wickets in 60 T20Is. 

Her 5 for 11 against Australia at ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in 2012 is the best bowling figures for India in the shortest format. 

Jhulan, who hails from Bengal, last played a T20I in the Asia Cup final against Bangladesh women in Kualalumpur, which India lost by three wickets.

The experienced player, who made her international debut in 2002, is also the highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 203 scalps from 169 games.