Jhulan Goswami

Jhulan Goswami retired in 2022 as the highest wicket-taker in women's ODI cricket, a record that captures her two-decade reign as the spearhead of India's pace attack. Nicknamed the Chakda Express after her hometown in Bengal, she was for years one of the quickest bowlers in the women's game.

From her debut in 2002, Goswami defied the stereotype that fast bowling was a male preserve in Indian cricket. With an upright seam and relentless accuracy, she troubled batters across formats, finishing with 255 ODI wickets and more than 40 in Tests. In 2018 she became the first woman to reach 200 ODI wickets, and in 2007 she was named ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year.

Beyond the wickets, Goswami's longevity was her real triumph. She played more than 200 ODIs across a generation, mentoring younger pacers such as Shikha Pandey and Renuka Singh Thakur. Her composure through the heartbreak of the 2017 World Cup final, which India lost to England by nine runs, made her a symbol of Indian women's cricket's fight for recognition. She has since moved into coaching, serving as bowling coach and mentor at Mumbai Indians in the Women's Premier League and passing on her craft to the next generation.