Even in my rough times, she was the one who supported me, emotional Harmanpreet Kaur pays tribute to Jhulan Goswami
Jhulan Goswami bid adieu to international cricket with a 3-0 clean sweep against England
|(BCCI Women)
Harmanpreet Kaur paid her respects to Jhulan Goswami in her final ODI after India clinched a thrilling victory to record a historic clean sweep against England. The skipper went on to discuss the mankading incident that eventually decided the game and the team's belief after posting a low score.
IndiaĀ emerged triumphant by 16 runs againstĀ England in theĀ third and final ODI on Saturday at the iconic Lord's which was hosting its first Women's ODI in five years. Renuka Singh spearheaded the team's efforts with a memorable four-wicket haul, symbolizing a handing of the baton from the departing veteran Jhulan Goswami after an illustrious 20-year career. The victory also ensured a stunning 3-0 clean sweep for the visitors albeit England were missing some stars such as Heath knight and Natalie Sciver.
The Women in Blue suffered a terrible start to the encounter, collapsing to 29-4 courtesy of Kate Cross' vicious opening spell. However,Ā steely half-centuries from Smriti Mandhana and Deepti Sharma took India to a respectable total of 169 which even though sub-par, was enough to put up a committed defence.
"This wicket was not easy to bat on, our batters did a decent job. We were looking for 170 after losing four wickets. After that we knew we have the pace attack and spin attack to take the wickets. We never thought we were out of the game.." skipper and player of the series Harmanpreet Kaur said in the post-match presentation as per India Today.
Renuka Singh paid back the favour to England with aĀ searing opening spell of her own, destroying the top-order to leave England reeling at 53-6. A valiant effort from captain Amy Jones brought the hosts back into the match before Charlotte Dean threatened to pull off an unlikely run chase with a gritty knock of 47. However, the youngster fell victim to a controversial demise after Deepti Sharma elected to take the bails off at the non-striker's end after Dean hadĀ trotted way too far down the crease, ensuring a memorable end to a historic clash.Ā
"To be honest, I thought you will ask about all the 10 wickets which was not easy to take as well. It's part of the game I don't think we have done something new. It shows your awareness, what batters are doing. I will back my players, she hasn't done something outside the rules. At the end of the day a win is a win and we will take that," asserted Kaur.
The game saw Goswami receive multiple guards of honours from both playing teams in tribute to her incredible tally of over 350-international wickets, to which she added two in her final encounter as well.
"When I debuted, she was the leader, in my best times, many were supporting me, but even in my rough times, she was the one who supported. She is just a call away. I wanted to thank her and tell her she is always with us. She is a go-to person, I always called her at low times and she was someone always guiding me," Harmanpreet concluded.
