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Jhulan showcases legendary class on world’s biggest stage
Arindam Basu
24th July 2017
The day may not have panned out the way the Indian Eves planned in the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup at the Lord’s in England, but the world did hear the roar of the Bengal Tigress loud and clear.
Economy was never a problem for Jhulan Goswami, but she did wow everyone with her clever and incisive bowling in the final. She plotted the return of the two batswomen around whom England built the innings.
First was Sarah Taylor. After two deliveries to the off side, she bowled a slower on the leg side that prompted Sarah to flick. The result, a simple catch to Sushma Varma. She backs it with an excellent first ball to Fran Wilson, that was full and on the stumps. Wilson was shuffling across on the clip and missed, was struck bang in front of leg-stump. Even Fran doesn't bother to review, off she goes.
With half the side back in the pavilion, Jhulan was mixing it, never bowling short and always stump to stump. The onus was on Natalie Sciver to take on the ace pace woman and she tried to do it coming down the pitch. The ball hit her in line. She asked for a review, but it went against her.
Recently a sports goods supplier of repute from Kolkata has started selling a brand of red-cherry called Bengal Tigress after Jhulan and she looked every bit of it as she left the England batters clueless with her line and length. Her first five overs yielded just 9 runs with two maidens. In the end it was not enough, but she did leave her mark at the biggest venue of World Cricket.
After the match Captain Mithali Raj said : “Goswami is an experinced bowler and has always delivered for the team, but England had a lot of depth in their batting. These girls have a lot of inexperience playing their first final. I will definitely play for a couple of years, but I don't see myself playing the next World Cup. She's (Goswami) done her bit for the country. That's truly because of the way the team has performed in the tournament, and it has changed back home.”
Tweets kept pouring in for Jhulan. If the God of cricket Sachin Tendulkar tweeted: “What an incredible spell by Jhulan. Proud of your effort! Plenty of cricket to be played. Keep Pushing hard.”, then the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi’s tweet said: “Jhulan Goswami is India’s pride, whose wonderful bowling helps India in key situations. All the best Jhulan.”
Farhan Akhtar and Harsha Bhogale praised Jhulan’s economy and line and length, while Cricket World Cup put up a GIF of two wickets in two balls by Jhulan.
Back home in Chakdah, friends, neighbours and family cramped in the living room to see the pride of Bengal dominate the English. But a pall of gloom descended as she was bowled first ball to a gem of Yorker.
Indian girls may have stopped short of the big apple, but Jhulan did rise like a phoenix on the biggest stage to show the world that end was not near as yet.
