November 25, 1982—on this day, legendary cricketer Jhulan Goswami was born. She was not only an iconic figure for Indian cricket but also for international cricket. To date, Goswami's ODI wicket-taking record remains untouched. 

A few days ago, the Indian women's cricket team won the ICC Women's World Cup for the first time in the history of cricket. Goswami was there at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai, and witnessed the moment for which countless cricket fans dream. Indian women's cricket is at the top of the world. Goswami couldn't hold her tears. 

During her prime cricket-playing days, the West Bengal-born was among the best pacers in the world. According to stats, in 2017, shortly before playing her fourth World Cup, Goswami went past Cathryn Fitzpatrick to become the leading wicket-taker in ODIs. She claimed 255 wickets in 205 One Day International matches, which is still a record, and the achievement of the former India skipper is at the top of the record list of the most wickets in a career in WODIs. 

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On This Day: Birthday of legendary cricketer Jhulan Goswami 

Goswami emerged as one of the most influential captains of the Indian women's cricket team as well. In 2008, Goswami took over the captaincy from Mithali Raj and held it till 2011. In the previous year, she was named as the ICC Women's Player of the Year. Interestingly, it was the year when no male Indian cricketers received the prestigious award based on individual performance. 

Jhulan Goswami was not fortunate enough to win the World Cup, but she claimed some memorable wins with Team India. In 2006, the pace bowling all-rounder, who could bowl at a pace of 120 km/h, helped India to their first series victory over England. During the Taunton Test, Goswami picked up 10 for 78. Jhulan Goswami retired from all forms of international cricket on September 25, 2022, after her final match at Lord's Cricket Ground on September 24, 2022. 

The Women's World Cup 2025 triumph is not only a result of the collective effort from the present team India players but also a reflection of the contributions made by the legends of the game. Without the dedication, perseverance, and resilience from some of the former India women's cricketers, Team India could not have won the World Cup in 2025. Behind the historic feats, there are multiple creators who dared to dream big. Through this article, we will try to find out 5 legends of Indian women's cricket, without whom the current scenario could be different. 

Diana Edulji: 

When cricket was limited for girls across the nation, Diana Edulji was the person who inspired the girls to take part in the game. From a young cricketer to becoming a part of the cricket administration, her journey is no less than an epic. She was known for her fierce spin bowling abilities and played for India from 1976 to 1993, a career of three long decades. The slow left-arm orthodox appeared in 20 Test matches and 34 One Day Internationals for India. In the longest format of the game, she amassed 404 runs and claimed 63 wickets at an impressive average of 25.77. And in ODIs, Edulji got 46 wickets, maintaining a remarkable bowling average of 16.84, and scored 2011 runs as well. It was her dream to see the Indian Women's Cricket Team with the World Cup in hand. Harmanpreet Kaur-led India made her dream true.

"I just have no words to explain. This is the proudest moment of my life. 50 years of my being on the cricket field as a player and an administrator. I am just absolutely thrilled… that star on the jersey, it’s now come true, and it’s a proud moment for me," the stalwart said. 

Neetu David:

Inspired by Diana Edulji, Neetu David dared to dream as a cricketer at the highest level of the game. The former India spinner, who is now the BCCI women’s selection committee chairperson, was a key figure behind India's 2005 World Cup run to the final, where they ended their campaign as the second-best team of the tournament. David was the highest wicket-taker in the 2005 Women’s World Cup with 20 wickets. Apart from the World Cup record, another feat of Edulji, to date, remains unmatched. She holds the best bowling figures in women’s Tests with 8/53 against England.

Read More: WATCH: Only Rs 1000 per match! Mithali Raj shocking revelation after World Cup 2025 Final

Anjum Chopra:

Like Neetu David, Anjum Chopra was also an integral part of the 2005 World Cup team India. She was the first Indian women's cricketer to play 100 ODIs. Throughout her illustrious career, the former batter featured in 127 ODIs, 12 Tests, 18 T20s, and 4 World Cups. For exceptional batting qualities and dedication to the game, Chopra was honored with the Arjuna Award (2007) and Padma Shri (2014) and also received the ICC Player of the Match title thrice. After retiring from professional cricket, she emerged as one of the most influential characters in Indian women's cricket. 

Mithali Raj:

The former India captain, under whose leadership stars of the present team like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, and Deepti Sharma cemented their positions in the international cricket arena. Raj led Team India in multiple World Cups but was not fortunate enough to claim the title. Mithali Raj, probably the first superstar of Indian women's cricket, represented India 333 times across formats to score 10,868 runs. 

Jhulan Goswami: 

The legendary figure of Indian cricket inspired multiple generations through his unmatched pace bowling skills and leadership skills. The Padma Shri awardee was the first ever Indian woman to take 200 wickets in ODIs. Goswami played over 200 ODIs and more than 70 Test matches for India. She was honored with the ICC Women’s Player of the Year award in 2007.

The former Indian off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, has lauded the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side for showing their love and respect to the past heroes by handing them the World Cup 2025 trophy, something which the men didn’t do. He praised the gesture of acknowledging, as it reflects the spirit and humility of true champions. 

After the end of the clash, the Blue Brigade let Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj, and Jhulan Goswami lift the trophy. Speaking on his YouTube channel ‘Ash Ki Baat’, Ashwin found the moment incredibly good, besides adding that the victory was the years of struggle and resilience laid by a generation of women cricketers.

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“I am actually taking my hat off to the Indian women's team. The Indian men’s team has never done something like this. We say it in front of the media, but I’ve never seen them give credit to the previous generation. They always talk like ‘my generation team is better than yours. Anjum Chopra was there; Mithali Raj was there to see them in delight.” Ashwin expressed in the YouTube video.

Watch: Ravichandran Ashwin reflects on India women’s side’s gesture of respect towards past heroes

Batting first, India posted 298/7 in their allotted 50 overs, thanks to 87 by Shafali Verma, while Deepti Sharma notched up 58 runs at a strike rate of 100. Laura Wolvaardt smacked 101 in the chase but lacked support from the other end.

🚨🚨 Ravi Ashwin's salute to Indian women cricket team

"They gave the trophy to Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami & dedicated this to previous generation superstars.

Indian men team has never done something like this, we say in front of media but I never seen they gave the credit to… pic.twitter.com/SUCKS5oeTj

— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) November 3, 2025

“The victory that Indian women have achieved today has not been achieved today. It’s been a work of 25 years — probably three decades. What about your Diana Eduljis? What about your Sudha Shahs? What about your Anjum Chopras? What about your Jhulan Goswamis? Jhulan was there doing commentary yesterday. I’ve always said Jhulan Goswami is the Ishant Sharma or probably Zaheer Khan of women’s cricket.” The former spin all-rounder shed light.

“I am so sorry- the way they’ve been compared with men’s cricket is wrong. That’s conditioning. I want to change. All of you should change. Please don’t compare. This is a pure inspirational story. That’s why I find this women’s team amazing. After winning, you are on a real high — still, you remember to celebrate your previous generation of cricketers who were there in the dressing room.” Ashwin concluded.

On their third attempt, India’s women's side, under the leadership of Harmanpreet Kaur, finally broke the jinx of 2005 and 2017 to claim the 2025 edition title by beating South Africa in the final at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. Apart from Laura Wolvaardt’s century, none of the Protea players were able to stand in the middle with the bat.

They shared the moment with the former players, Jhulan Goswami, Mithali Raj, and Anjum Chopra, who lifted the field and shared an emotional moment. Harmanpreet shed light on the moment and looked back at how they promised them of the success.

See Also: BCCI announces massive cash prize for India's Women's World Cup 2025 winning team

“Jhulan di was my biggest support. When I joined the team, she was leading it. She always supported me in my early days when I was very raw and didn't know much about cricket. Anjum di, too. Both of them have been a great support for me. I'm very grateful that I got to share a special moment with them. It was a very emotional moment. I think we all were waiting for this. Finally, we were able to touch this trophy.” Kaur expressed after the end of the clash.

Watch: Harmanpreet Kaur shares Women’s World Cup 2025 trophy with Anjum Chopra, Mithali Raj, and Jhulan Goswami

In the same post-match ceremony, Kaur thanked her seniors for supporting her when she was new to the team. The BCCI secretary, Devajit Saikia, has also announced a cash prize of INR 51 crore for the success.

“I've played many World Cups with her [Mandhana]. Every time we lost, we went home heartbroken and stayed quiet for a few days. When we returned, we always said, 'We have to start again from ball one. ' It was heartbreaking because we played so many World Cups - reaching finals, semi-finals, and sometimes not even that far. We were always thinking, When will we break this?” Kaur added.

🗣 "𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚" 🇮🇳💙#CWC25 #Champions #IndianCricketTeam pic.twitter.com/Z2cxxW9ImI

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) November 2, 2025

Former India international cricket player Anjum Chopra celebrate with the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup trophy. pic.twitter.com/zHjPEpNSHn

— Cricket Picture that Goes Hard (@HardCricketpix) November 2, 2025

Speaks large volumes about Harman the human being to keep her ego aside and honor a legend, Mithali Raj

pic.twitter.com/mAddEo56sW

— Fantasy Cricket Pro 🏏 (Viren Hemrajani) (@FantasycricPro) November 2, 2025

Former India Women and Bengal fast bowler Jhulan Goswami is all set to get a new stand named after herself at the Eden Gardens prior to the start of the T20I series between India and England earlier next year. Following a proposal from the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), a stand will be named in her honor in the 'B' Block of Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Goswami is the highest wicket-taker in women's ODI cricket. The proposal to introduce a new stand was put forward by the apex body of CAB and it is expected to be in full operation by January 22 when India prepare to take on Australia in a T20I series. 

Here is how Goswami reacted to the news 

The former fast-bowling legend was filled with joy and excitement upon hearing the news. She expressed that she never believed such a development would be made possible in her lifetime. She hopes to visit the stand someday when its ready and looks forward to watching a match from there. 

"I never imagined something like this would come to fruition. I would definitely love to watch a match from there. For any cricketer, the ultimate dream is to represent her district, state, or country, but receiving an honor like this is truly monumental. A dedicated stand is a huge, significant honour, and it's only possible because of the CAB's vision to promote women's cricket. Words can't do justice to this recognition."

Additionally, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly and international cricketer Pankaj Roy also have the stands named after them at the Eden Gardens. Besides, are also stands named for two former BCCI presidents, Jagmohan Dalmiya and Biswanath Dutt.

A look into Jhulan Goswami's past record

Jhulan represented India across all three formats and has finished her career with 44 wickets in 12 Tests, a world-record 255 wickets in 204 ODIs, and another 56 dismissals in 68 T20Is. With 355 wickets under her kitty, the Bengal-based bowler now has the most number of wickets in women's internationals. 

See also: Kohli’s road to redemption: Intense training ahead of Border-Gavaskar Trophy

According to team manager and bowling coach Jhulan Goswami, the second day of the Mumbai Indians’ team camp, which got underway on Saturday in preparation for the inaugural Women’s Premier League (WPL), was jam-packed with hard training and team-building activities.

“No one will be a legend when we reach the ground. It involves concentrating on our activity. We made an attempt to engage with the girls over their effort today, their teamwork on the pitch, and their communication.”

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Jhulan Goswami said that the focus is on work at Mumbai Indians

Together with Jhulan, the coaching staff for Mumbai in the WPL also includes Trupti Chandgadkar Bhattacharya as the team manager, Charlotte Edwards as the head coach, Devieka Palshikaar as the coach for the batting and fielding teams, and Lydia Greenway as the coach for the fielding. Indiawin Sports Pvt. Ltd., a Reliance Industries subsidiary and owner of the five-time IPL champion Mumbai Indians, MI Cape Town in the SA20, and MI Emirates in the ILT20, placed the second-highest offer of INR 912.99 crores to get the rights to run a WPL club.

Along with Jhulan, the coaching staff for Mumbai in the WPL also includes Trupti Chandgadkar Bhattacharya as the team manager, Charlotte Edwards as the head coach, Devieka Palshikaar as the coach for the batting and fielding teams, and Lydia Greenway as the coach for the fielding.

Mumbai Indians 2023 squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (INR 1.8 crore), Nat Sciver-Brunt (INR 3.2 crore), Amelia Kerr (INR 1 crore), Pooja Vastrakar (INR 1.9 crore), Yastika Bhatia (INR 1.5 crore), Heather Graham (INR 30 lakh), Isabelle Wong (INR 30 lakh), Amanjot Kaur (INR 50 lakh), Dhara Gujar (INR 10 lakh), Saika Ishaque (INR 10 lakh), Chloe Tryon (INR 30 lakh), Humaira Kazi (INR 10 lakh), Priyanaka Bala (INR 20 lakh), Sonam Yadav (INR 10 lakh), Neelam Bisht (INR 10 lakh), Jitumoni Kalita (INR 10 lakh).

Playing her last international match on Saturday at the iconic Lord’s, Jhulan Goswami received the guard of honour during India women versus England women third ODI in London.

The incident occurred during the main innings of the match, when the 39-year-old cricketer came out to bat at no. 9 in the 40th over of the match. India, who have an unassailable lead of 2-0, were battling in the last game at 148/7 when the legendary pacer emerged to bat at the tail-end.

Farewell to our ‘Chakdah Express’

Entering the ground to bat, Jhulan found the English team players forming the famous guard of honour lines to remember the cricketer, who has contributed over 20 years of life to international cricket. Goswami lifted her right hand in appreciation to acknowledge the honour by English players, who could be seen clapping together for their opponents. There were loud cheers and applause from the observers as well as the crowd came in numbers to observe what is the last dance of the Indian bowling legend, affectionately known as ‘Chakdah Express’.

Never truly known for her batting skills, Goswami had an anti-climax end to her last innings as she was out for a first-ball duck. She was bowled out by Freya Kemp as the batter played the wrong  line off a full-length delivery.

India were 166/9 in 45.3 overs. Among players, Deepti Sharma was currently at the crease on 68 not out after Smriti Mandhana held the Indian innings along with a half-century while the top-order imploded around her.

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Making her debut in 2002, Goswami contributed over 20 years of her life to the Indian women’ cricket team, which reached three World Cup finals (two ODIs) in what could be rated as the best period throughout the history of the national team. Recently they also won a historic silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Jhulan Goswami, whose name is very much familiar with “fast bowling” in women’s cricket, will play her final game at Lord’s on Saturday. The Indian side will want to make it a special farewell for her by sweeping the English in the ODI series. For a cricket player, playing just one game at Lord’s is the ultimate goal. A hundred runs or a five-for is a different high than saying goodbye to cricket after a successful career at the “Mecca of Cricket,” which is exclusively reserved for a select few.

Although he played his final first-class game there, Sunil Gavaskar was denied the chance. On their final playing day, neither Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, or Glenn McGrath had the chance to descend the stairs of the revered Long Room.

Even Mithali Raj, who worked alongside Goswami for almost 20 years, was unable to leave a cricket pitch.

Call it fate or design, but Goswami’s final celebration is taking place at Lord’s.

A more memorable scene could not have existed as the svelte 5 feet 11 inch woman made her way through the Long Room to the MCC’s “suits,” who would then stand and offer her a “Guard of Honour” before she onto the field with her teammates.

Harmanpreet Kaur and her squad will stop at nothing to ensure it was a suitable departure for one of the “poster ladies” of Indian cricket, even though the series was already secured with an unbeatable 2-0 lead.

India performed admirably against a depleted England team in the two games when they dominated both while pursuing and while setting the target, despite losing the T20I series.

The concern has been Shafali Verma’s inconsistent performance during the tour, even though skipper Harmanpreet has returned to form with innings of 74 not out and 143 not out. This is the biggest benefit for the team.

Harleen Deol has done well to establish herself as a consistent middle-order batter, but the seam attack, which consists of Meghna Singh, Renuka Thakur, and Pooja Vastrakar, will need to step up significantly more in the wake of Goswami’s retirement.

Goswami – her story, then and now

Back in 1999, when Goswami hadn’t even made her international debut, India’s women last defeated England in an ODI series.

So that the cherished “Jhulu Di” of the Indian squad will know that she is a contented soul as she plays in her 204th and final game.

Perhaps an ICC trophy would have looked lovely (she had two chances at that in 2005 and 2017 when India competed in the final), but sometimes certain things are not meant to be.

She might recall a lot of things when she makes her bowling mark for the final time and walks up the Lord’s slope to add to his 353 international wickets .

You can only pay your cap to her for making the transition from the small West Bengal village of Chakdah to being named the “ICC Woman Cricketer of The Year” and carrying the Indian pace attack for 20 years.

Taking the first local train to Kolkata and beginning rituals at North Kolkata’s Shradhananda Park wasn’t an easy journey (a small non-descript ground).

Even after making her debut in India, she continued to ride in an open Van Rickshaw as she returned home from Chakdah station.

Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh had not yet been born when she first represented India, while Jemimah Rodrigues may have still been in diapers.

Harmanpreet was still a cricket-loving Moga girl with dreamy eyes.

Shafali, Jemimah, Richa, and Yastika Bhatia will be her colleagues as she retires, while Harmanpreet will serve as her captain.

And yes, the women’s IPL is going to begin. The majority of the women’s cricket players drive Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis thanks to the amount of money that has been brought in.

She has served as a link between the hardships of living in dormitories and youth hostels with shared bathrooms while travelling in second class and staying at posh five-star hotels with proper central contracts and financial stability.

She continued on her way unabated, passing via the Hooghly and the Thames in the interim.

One such cricketing event that you would want is the delivery to Meg Lanning in the 2017 World Cup semifinal.

One can be certain that there won’t be any lull in India’s passion as she aims for a 3-0 clean sweep following a couple of strong performances.

There won’t be another Jhulan Goswami.

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India: Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Sabbineni Meghana, Deepti Sharma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana, Renuka Thakur, Meghna Singh, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Harleen Deol, Dayalan Hemalatha, Simran Dil Bahadur, Jhulan Goswami, Taniyaa Bhatia and Jemimah Rodrigues.
England: Amy Jones (c and wk), Tammy Beaumont, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Kate Cross, Freya Davies, Alice Davidson-Richards, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Eclestone, Freya Kemp, Issy Wong and Danni Wyatt.

A confident Indian team will back itself to seal its first series victory in England since 1999 with another win over the hosts in the second women’s ODI in Canterbury on Wednesday. Having endured a woeful 1-2 defeat in the T20I series, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led Indian side raised its standards in all the departments of the game to bounce back in three days’ time and defeat England by seven wickets in the series-opener at Hove on Sunday. England are missing some of their senior players but India looked a much better team in the first game and they would be looking to ride the momentum.

In 1999, the Indian team had won the ODI series 2-1 with Anjum Chopra striking a hundred and a half-century. It is also a farewell series for the great Jhulan Goswami as India do not have any 50-over assignment till June 2023. Playing her first game since March, the 39-year-old world record holder for most wickets showed little signs of rustiness and was the most economical among the lot, returning with figures 10-2-20-1.

Also Read: T20 World Cup: NZ announces squad!

Harmanpreet looking for a win against England at their home ground

Indian vice-captain Smriti Mandhana led the batting show with a sublime 99-ball 91, while wicketkeeper batter Yastika Bhatia also struck a fifty, before skipper Harmanpreet finished off the clinical chase with an unbeaten 74. The captain will be expecting the middle-order to step up and hope opener does well as she has not scored a half-century in more than 10 innings now.

England on the other hand will hope that their batters put up a big total as they will rely heavily on in-form Sophia Dunkley, who had a successful T20I series. Dunkley and Alice Capsey once again looked dangerous in the middle before a one-handed catch by Harmanpreet broke the partnership and triggered a collapse. If India manage to win the second game, it will be a massive confidence booster for a team trying to find its feet in 50-over cricket.