If I got Mithali Raj out, I was to get a waterproof watch: Jhulan Goswami

Jhulan Goswami, in a chat show, recounted her domestic cricket days, how she worked on her bowling at the start and her first wicket – that of Mithali Raj.



“We were playing Rae Bareilly and someone told me this is Mithali Raj, she has already played for India at her age,” Goswami told Smriti Mandhana and Jemimah Rodrigues on their chat show.



“In those days there used to be a waterproof watch, and I was told that if I can get this girl out on zero I could get such a watch. I said let’s try. Those days she used to open and on the first ball I got her bowled. So first wicket was Mithali.” She also joked that Rodrigues wasn’t even born then.



The veteran Indian pacer also talked about what went behind her becoming the consistent bowler that she became.



“When I started I didn’t know much about this,” said the right-arm seamer, who has 225 ODI wickets. “I was told to bowl as fast as you can and I can’t compare with the men, but among the girls I was told to bowl as fast I can. I didn’t concentrate much on swing because of my height probably.”



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“I was told to hit the seam at three-quarter length as much as I can... if I hit the seam off the wicket, there will be some movement which will trouble the batter. I have adjusted my action and run up a little over the years but have not tinkered with my basic strength.”



She also revealed how she would bowl even after her regular session in order to get her line and lengths right.



With the lockdown due to the pandemic, most things have come to a standstill. But athletes, more so fast bowlers, have to work harder to stay fit in order to get going when cricket resumes. Goswami said that since she doesn’t have a gym at home, maintaining fitness has been a challenge.



“Maintaining fitness during the lockdown has been a challenge because I don’t have a gym at home. It’s the biggest problem I am facing and most are facing it too,” she said.



“So have been relying on the old school equipment and whatever is there at home to train… I got a few bricks for training, free hand exercises and such."