"That remains my only regret" - Jhulan Goswami reflects on unfulfilled dream in her illustrious career 

Veteran Indian cricketer Jhulan Goswami has stated that not winning the World Cup remains her biggest regret. Goswami, who will retire after the third ODI against England at Lord's on Saturday (September 24), stated that she never expected to have a long career.

The right-arm fast bowler made her international debut in 2002 and will bow out from international cricket as the highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket history. She was notably a part of the Indian teams that reached the finals of the 2005 and 2017 World Cups.

Speaking ahead of her final international game on Saturday, the 39-year-old said that as she came from a humble background, she hadn't thought of playing for a long time. However, winning a World Cup for India has remained an unfulfilled dream.

Goswami said, as quoted by the Indian Express:

"I have played two World Cup finals but couldn’t win the trophy. That remains my only regret because you prepare for World Cup for four years. There is a lot of hard work. For every cricketer, it is a dream-come-true moment to win a World Cup."

"When I started, I never thought of playing for such a long time. It was a great experience. I am fortunate to play the sport. Honestly, coming from a humble background and a small town like Chakdah, I didn’t know anything about women’s cricket."

It's worth noting that the West Bengal-born player performed commendably in the 2017 and 2005 World Cup finals. She returned with figures of 10-3-23-3 in 2017 and 9-0-45-1 in 2005. However, the Women in Blue failed to clinch the title on both occasions.

India will want to give Jhulan Goswami a fitting farewell

Indian women's cricket team. (Credits: Getty)

After the second ODI against England, skipper Harmanpreet Kaur hailed Goswami for mentoring her and being an inspiration. Kaur said, as quoted by Cricbuzz:

"She's someone who has taught us a lot. When I debuted, she was a leader and I learned a lot from her and now our young bowlers, like Renuka [Singh] and Meghna Singh... They are also learning from her. They are learning how she bowls and getting that rhythm from her. She's been a great inspiration for all of us and we've learned a lot from her."

India have already won the ODI series, winning the first match by seven wickets and the second by 88 runs. It was the Women in Blue's first ODI series victory since 1999.