KOLKATA: Jhulan Goswami's cupboard is full of trophies, apart from the ICC World Cup and the India pacer said she will always miss it. It was a case of so-near-yet-so-far for Goswami, who missed out in spite of being within touching distance. In 2017, India lost the final to England while in March this year, they failed to make the semifinals going down to South Africa in the last group league match.
"I still have not got over the hangover from the World Cup. We deserved a better result," she said after being named as a mentor of Aditya School of Sports' residential cricket academy here on Thursday. Laid low with a side sprain that she suffered during the World Cup in New Zealand, the veteran pacer, however, is optimistic about the future of Indian women's cricket. "I am happy to see the new crop of cricketers and am certain that winning the World Cup is just a matter of time," she said. "These girls are so dynamic, flamboyant and aggressive. They are ready to cross any boundaries and I see a bright future for Indian women's cricket," she added.
The girl who began her journey as a ball-girl from Chakdaha, a suburb of Kolkata, felt the next generation cricketers are maturing fast as they are getting better exposure. "Many of them are now playing in the Women's Big Bash League, The Hundreds and other overseas leagues. That's making them so confident. In the team meetings, I have noticed that they are not daunted by opposition," she said.
Goswami, like all other Indians, still cannot forget the no-ball that Deepti Sharma bowled on the penultimate delivery of the match against South Africa that saw India crashing out of the World Cup this year. However, she took it in her stride. "That's sports. It can make you a hero one day and pull you down the other day. I myself went through the same experience of bowling a no-ball in the last delivery of a must-win second ODI against Australia last year. It's heart-breaking, but we have to accept and live with that," she stated.
The 39-year-old pacer achieved two milestones in this World Cup, becoming the highest wicket-taker in Women's One-Day Internationals (WODIs) and was also crowned the most successful bowler in World Cup history. Asked to pick the one which was closer to her heart, she was prompt in her reply: "Would have definitely cherished the latter had we won the Cup."
The Arjuna award winner felt the 2017 World Cup was the turning point for women's cricket in India. "The whole atmosphere changed after that. In spite of us failing to win the Cup, I feel it will be a milestone event since our game started getting noticed after that. More girls started taking up the game and more support came too," she stated.
