“When I debuted, that time she was the captain,” Harmanpreet would say at the post-match presentation. “Even in the huddle before the game, I told her when I was going through the best time, many people were around me and supporting me but in my rough times, she was the only one who was backing and supporting me and I just wanted to say thank you to her. I know it was her last game but she will always be with us and she is just a call away when we need her. She is my go-to person. In my low phase, I always call her and discuss what I have to do. She is someone who [always] guided me.”
Goswami said on the official broadcast: “Thanks to BCCI and Cricket Association of Bengal [CAB], my family, coaches, captains, thanks for this opportunity. It’s a special moment. I started in 2002 against England [in India] and ending in England. Most important thing is we are 2-0 up in the series.
“Each and every moment has a lot of emotions. In 2017 [ODI] World Cup, we came back and fought, nobody initially thought we would get into the final, the way we played that tournament was something different. From there, women’s cricket in India slowly, gradually it picked up, and now we have our own path and we can motivate young girls to play sports and have a career in cricket.
“I have to [keep my emotions in check] because I can’t come with emotion on the cricket field. My character is ruthless; you have to play hard cricket and give your best. A lot of team-mates, people like Harman and Smriti [Mandhana], have seen me, with ups and downs, we’ve fought and stayed together through ups and downs. It’s good that the emotions come out early and after we can come back fresh for the game. I’m happy to see the way Harman and Smriti have carried this team. The way Harman’s batting has been great. She’s different, on her day it’s difficult to get her out. Some days, it’s difficult for me to get her. I’m glad with the way players like Yastika [Bhatia] and Harleen [Deol] are coming. Hope they come well in the future.”
Not long after that, CAB, Goswami’s home cricket association in India, announced their own honour for the star bowler. CAB had earlier arranged a screening of the farewell match at an auditorium in the city, with young women cricketers and CAB officials and members in attendance.
“We are planning to name a stand after Jhulan Goswami at Eden Gardens. She is a special cricketer and deserves to be with the legends,” Avishek Dalmiya, the CAB president, said. “We will approach the army [the owners of the stadium] for the necessary permission. We are also planning a special felicitation for her on the annual day.
“At CAB we give equal importance to women’s cricket and hence we see so many talented cricketers. They are of course inspired by Jhulan’s achievements. Though she has retired from international cricket we would love her to play in the woman’s IPL [which is expected to start next year].”
Snehasish Ganguly, the CAB secretary, added: “We have made her the mentor of the Bengal women’s cricket as we want to get her valuable advice. We have plans to involve her in development of women’s cricket. We also want her to play domestic cricket if she wants.”