Near-misses of past and preparations leading up to this WC will help us do better in big matches: Jhulan Goswami

Jhulan Goswami is arguably the best pacer to have played the game for the Indian women’s team and has several on-field accomplishments in her long career. The tall fast bowler has been named in the Indian squad for the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 which will be played in New Zealand and she as well as the Indian eves would be hoping to go one step further this time around.

Months ahead of the Women’s ODI World Cup, Jhulan has said that the case of ‘so near yet so far ‘ in the last three tournaments has made the Indian team tough and she reckons that they can go all the way this time around.

“This is a very valid point. If you see the last three World Cups, including the T20 World Cup in the West Indies [in 2018], we had a very good chance; we played good cricket. But the pressure of that semi-final (in 2018) and the final (in the 2017 ODI World Cup 2017 and in T20 equivalent in 2020) is something that cannot be denied”, said the star pacer while speaking to ESPN Cricinfo.

Jhulan Goswami says India are confident of responding better as a team

“It may have played a part in how we performed. It was like a final barrier we were stumbling at every time. Maybe this year we will be able to respond better as a team. Sports is very unpredictable, but hopefully, those near-misses and our preparations leading up to this World Cup will help us react better in big matches” she said.

The  ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 will be played in New Zealand from 4 March to 3 April. Mithali Raj would be leading the Indian team and this World Cup could be the swansong of veterans Raj & star pacer Jhulan Goswami. The Indian eves will kickstart their tournament against arch-rivals Pakistan at Bay Oval in Tauranga on March 6.

India had an outstanding campaign in the previous edition of the Women’s World Cup in 2017 where they knocked out the then-defending champions and Cup favorites Australia in the semis riding on a splendid 171 from Harmanpreet Kaur. They were in control of the proceedings against England in the final at Lord’s. However, a middle-order collapse saw them agonizingly fall short by 10 runs.