“Why are you spitting fire, you are my teammate only na?” - Mithali Raj recalls Jhulan Goswami’s competitive spirit in the nets

Former India women’s captain Mithali Raj has paid tribute to long-time teammate Jhulan Goswami, who is playing her final international match on Saturday, September 24. Recalling her competitive spirit, Mithali said that the 39-year-old would “spit fire” even while bowling in the nets.

Goswami will end her glorious international career after the third ODI against England Women at Lord’s. The pacer was dismissed for a golden duck with the bat in her last international innings as India women were bowled out for 169 in 45.4 overs after being sent into bat.

Mithali, who herself announced her retirement earlier this year, changed the face of Indian women’s cricket along with Goswami. The duo formed the backbone of the team for nearly two decades. Speaking to PTI, the former captain hailed the legendary pacer for her competitive spirit and said:

“In the nets, I would often ask her ‘why are you spitting fire, you are my teammate only na?’. Then she would say ‘to get out is the toughest’. She always had the competitive streak including domestic cricket where we played against each other often. I enjoyed that rivalry as well.

“We are of the same age, so we have that comfort level and communication. It was always very easy to reach out to her and speak to her. Someone who was always high on energy on the ground, may be because she is a fast bowler.”

On what made Goswami stand out from the rest, the former cricketer stated that it was her accuracy that made a big difference. She explained:

“She was not much of a swing bowler, she was more of a bowler who would get the ball in and out. The cutters were her strength. At her peak, she would hardly give loose balls.

“She was a lone ranger from one end for a very long time. She would get support at times but often she would be the only one trying to put pressure. That holds true even in the recent times.”

Mithali made her international debut in 1999 in an ODI against Ireland in June of that year. Goswami made her debut three years later.

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“I did not carry helmet’, how will I wear one?” - Mithali Raj on a light-hearted banter with Jhulan Goswami

While Goswami is often viewed as a tough character on the cricket field, Mithali revealed that she has a softer side as well.

Sharing a fun incident from a domestic game, she recalled:

“We were playing in the semifinals (Railways versus Bengal). I did not carry my helmet during that domestic season. Jhulan was aiming right at my head and I did leave a lot of her bouncers. After a while she came up to me and said ‘why are you not wearing a helmet? I was like ‘I did not carry helmet’, how will I wear one?’ Those were the fun times."

Mithali added:

“We had a lot of fun probably early in our careers though she was more at the receiving end of my pranks. As we got older and matured, we saw many of our teammates leave the game and both of us were left among a bunch of new faces. Having her in the team helped because she was also that person who would speak to everybody and communicate.”

Goswami is the all-time leading wicket-taker in women’s ODI cricket and the only one with 250-plus scalps in the format.