Mumbai, Jan 31: On a wintry day in December 1997, a 14-year-old girl harboured a dream sitting in the stands at the Eden Gardens. And she started running towards it. On the way, she ducked denial, overcame hurdles and broke the rules – but she didn’t stop. The goals got bigger and so did her achievements. Today the world knows her as Padma Shri Jhulan Goswami.

The captain of the Indian women’s cricket team spoke to bcci.tv about the journey from her village, Chakdaha, to becoming only the second woman cricketer to win the fourth-highest civilian award in India. And she’s still chasing that dream.

What was your first reaction when you heard about winning the Padma Shri?

I was completely shocked. I got a call from the PIB secretary who informed me that the President had accepted my nomination for the Padma Shri. For a few seconds I couldn’t believe what I had heard. Even now I cannot describe the feeling in words. It was a very special moment of my life and a huge honour.

When you started out, did you think you’d achieve so much as a cricketer?

I always dreamt of playing for my country but never thought I’d get so far. The awards were obviously not on my mind when I started out. Even now, the pride and satisfaction that I get by donning the blue India jersey is incomparable to any award or recognition.

When did you decide to become a cricketer?

It was during the 1997 Women’s World Cup. The final between Australia and New Zealand was played at the Eden Gardens. They gave away some complimentary passes to school kids and I was fortunate enough to get one. I always knew that women’s cricket existed but that was the first time that I saw girls playing cricket at this level. That was the moment when a dream was born. I thought to myself, ‘If I take this sport seriously, I too can represent my country one day’. It was difficult for me to convince my parents to let me pursue a career in cricket. My coach, Mr. Swapan Sadhu, came to my house to speak to my parents and eventually they agreed.

Did you always want to be a bowler?

No. I used to play a lot of tennis-ball cricket with my friends and there you had to do both, bowling and batting. It was my coach who suggested that I concentrate on pace bowling as I had a good height and a nice high-arm action. I found bowling was the toughest part of the game and I gradually started enjoying the challenge.

You’re one of the fastest women bowlers in the world. Was that your aim as a young girl?

Every young pacer wants to bowl fast as s/he can and so did I. But it was never my aim to become the fastest bowler in the world. I just tried to bowl as fast as I could within my limitations. Once you gain in confidence and acquire rhythm, the pace will automatically go up and that’s what happened with me.

Who’s your bowling idol?

Glenn McGrath. I spoke to him once when we went to Australia for the 2009 World Cup. He was kind enough to spare some time for me. It was a very special moment for me to meet my childhood idol. We spoke about aspects like how to use the crease and conditions to your advantage and how to strategise against a batsman who’s hitting out to your bowling and come back strongly. We chatted more about the mental aspect of fast bowling than the technical one.

Is there any Indian fast bowler that you look up to?

I’ve always admired Javagal Srinath. Unfortunately, I’ve never watched him bowl live but it was very nice watching him on television, the way he used to run in and bowl quick. He was the spearhead of our bowling attack for a long time and my dad always spoke about him as one of India’s legendary fast bowlers. He is another hero of mine.

How much has Indian women’s cricket evolved since you began your career?

A lot has changed. Earlier, we used to play under the banner of the Women’s Cricket Association of India. But since BCCI took over the women’s game in 2005-06, there has been a lot of improvement. In the past, we didn’t have good facilities and had to play on mediocre grounds. There was no financial security either. Now, even at the domestic level, we play on quality grounds with excellent infrastructure. We’re being paid much better and that is an important aspect of our careers. Earlier, the National Cricket Academy (NCA) was reserved only for the boys but now even the girls come there for rehab and to sharpen their skills. There are many other things and it would be time-consuming to mention them all. All the girls are very thankful to the BCCI for bringing about this change and it has reflected in the team’s performance as well.

What are your suggestions for further improvement in the standard of women’s cricket in India?

I’d suggest that we play more matches than we currently do. Compared to the top teams in the world like Australia and England, we don’t play a sufficient amount of international cricket. Also, presently there is a big gap between the standard of domestic and international cricket. If that gap can be bridged, it will go a long way in elevating the overall standard of women’s cricket in India.

As captain, what are your goals for the Indian women’s cricket team in the future?

We play very well at home but our overseas record is not up to the mark and I want that to improve. Our goal is to be the No. 1 team in the world and for that we need to win outside India consistently. And we’re working on it. As captain I think this is the best time for us to press our claim to the top spot. We have some fine young players in the team who are keen to perform and improve. The coming two years will be very important for us for getting to that goal because we’re playing two World Cups – World Twenty and the ODI World Cup ,which is at home. I don’t have any individual goals for myself. I just want to make India the top-ranked side in the world.