'I was not able to tie my laces' - Jhulan Goswami recalls how injuries forced her to call time on illustrious career

Former India women's cricketer Jhulan Goswami has opened up about the injuries that prompted her to retire from international cricket. The speedster announced her retirement in September 2022, following India's ODI series victory over England at the Lord's Cricket Ground. The 40-year-old who is considered one of the greatest bowlers to ever play the sport, snared 355 wickets in 284 matches across all three formats.

When asked if there was a large gap between when she thought about retiring and when it actually occurred, Goswami said that she had made the choice to retire after the 2022 Women's ODI World Cup since she wasn't enjoying the game much and was constantly getting injured. She added that she suffered from fickle injuries at all times and then went through rehab, which felt like a long-term setback.

"I had decided after the 2022 50-over World Cup itself that I had to take retirement because I was not enjoying as a cricketer as I was getting injured. Day by day I was getting fickle injuries and then to do rehab after that. It was like a setback for me for a long time," Goswami said during an interaction with Anjum Chopra on her YouTube channel.

The injury in New Zealand was the worst among all the injuries I have faced: Goswami

Goswami went on to say that her injury was so severe in New Zealand that when she returned, she couldn't sleep properly, couldn't turn on her left side, and couldn't tie her laces either. The former pacer added that it was the worst side strain she had ever experienced in her career.

"The injury was so bad in New Zealand, that after returning from there, I wasn't able to sleep properly, I was not able to turn on my left side, I was not able to tie my laces. It was a very bad side strain. It was the worst among all the injuries I have faced," she added.

Due to an injury, Jhulan Goswami had to sit out India's final league match against South Africa at the 2022 Women’s ODI World Cup. Notably, the Mithali Raj-led side suffered a three-wicket loss, effectively ending India's campaign at the prestigious tournament.