From Chakdah to Lords: Adios, Jhulan Goswami

October 05, 2022

From Chakdah to Lords: Adios, Jhulan Goswami

Chakdaha & Vivekananda Park could just be a contrasting study of demographics. The latter – with exquisitely tended gardens & high stone walls topped with barbed wires – is home to the elite class of Kolkata. More than 75 km away nestled in Nadia district is Chakdaha, a small town whose claim to fame is the district headquarters, Krishnanagar, and its famous clay idols. This study of contrasts however has a thread linking it to the finest cricketers Bengal & India has ever seen – Jhulan Goswami.

The Chakdah Station

Jhulan’s desire to make a career out of playing cricket after being a ball-girl in the 1997 World Cup finals is stuff dreams are made up of. The commute from Chakdaha to Vivekananda Park via a local train is a long and dreary journey of more than 2 hours. In addition to that there was the strict reporting time of 7:30 am set by her coach - Swapan Sadhu.

Swapan Sadhu should probably be credited for honing the skills of the finest pacer Bengal has known. It was under his watchful eyes Jhulan perfected her fast bowling skills. Sadhu, known to be a strict disciplinarian when it came to coaching, was in fact the person who had been instrumental in convincing Goswami’s parents to allow her to play cricket. Notably, he conducted the only female cricket academy in South Kolkata during the late 1990s, remarkable in the age when womens’ cricket was hardly known among the masses.

There is so much to write about Jhulan Goswami that words cannot do justice to. Shall I begin with the fan girl being proud of the 2007 ICC Women’s Cricketer of the Year award or in 2008 when I told everyone who cared to listen to me that the women who donned the No 1 and No 2 positions in the ICC women bowling rankings had a Bengal connect. No 1 – Jhulan Goswami (India, proud Bengali) & No 2 – Isa Guha (born in England to Bengali parents).

Or shall we go to what was the tournament that ushered in a new era for womens’ cricket. The semi-final of the 2017 Womens’ World Cup between India and Australia & the absolute ripper that dismissed a flabbergasted Meg Lanning – easily the best batter in the world. The runs were on the board, but if any team could chase down that total of 281, it was Australia. And Meg Lanning was a vital clog in that Australian wheel. The ball which dismissed Lanning was the ball of the tournament. Words cannot do justice to the delivery. It was a work of art. Pitching on middle stump and straightening enough to hit the off stump to dismiss the best batter in the world.

In the cricketing fraternity Jhulan Goswami will be remembered as an icon, role model and a woman whose work ethic an emerging fast bowler should replicate. But what stood out for me was the insatiable desire to perform, despite the unsurmountable odds. In an interview to a Bengali daily, she highlighted how ignorant she was about sports science and diets & that the modification of her diet enabled her to extend her career. If you ever asked her whether she regretted having to travel that 4 plus hours in crowded suburban trains, she will in turn tell you how those days shaped her as a human and made her mentally tough to withstand challenges, both on and off the field.

Bengal’s love affair with sports can be seen at the sheer number of clubs which outline the Maidan, and the fact that a regular evening in a para will involve discussions around cricket and football. However, fast bowling was never a forte for the easy going Bengali. It took a girl from a small town of Bengal, who travelled in local trains to make the world sit up and take notice and eke her name into the annals of cricketing folklore.

Such is the appeal she carries that probably it will be the first time that an upscale multiplex will screen the farewell match for a woman cricketer. For those interested - The Cricket Association of Bengal will be screening the match at #InoxForum on Elgin Road on 24th September, Saturday from 2.30 pm onwards.