Senior India pacer Jhulan Goswami on Wednesday insisted that she was not chasing milestones after picking up her 300th international wicket against Sri Lanka in Galle in the first one-dayer.
“I am not chasing milestones anymore,” Goswami told Women’s CricZone. “I didn’t even know about the 300. When I started, I just wanted to play one match for the country, and to get one wicket.”
The 35-year-old reached the landmark, thereby becoming the first woman to do so after getting Nipuni Hansika caught behind. India then went on to crush the hosts with ease as in-form opener Smriti Mandhana smashed yet another whirlwind half-century.
Goswami picked up another wicket and has stretched her tally to 301 wickets across all formats.
Last year, the former India captain scaled yet another peak, becoming the first bowler in women’s cricket to go past 200 ODI wickets.
However, following the Asia Cup humbling that India suffered against Bangladesh, Goswami announced her retirement from Twenty20 cricket.
“T20 is a bit fast and I am slowing down day by day,” she said. “I found that I was mixing T20 and ODI. The thinking wasn’t clear; the driving force I wanted wasn’t there. Us chakkar me I wasn’t enjoying my bowling.”
When asked about her finest moments with the ball, Goswami fondly reminisced the wicket of Australia veteran Karen Rolton in a Test match in 2006. “I remember the release, how the ball came in, how it felt from the hand. There were so many special spells in games we didn’t win.”
Goswami has put some daylight on the top wicket-takers’ chart. The second on the list is former Australia pace ace Cathryn Fitzpatrick, who has 240 wickets. England all-rounder Jenny Gunn is hot on her heels with 239 victims to her name.