Mumbai: India’s Richa Ghosh has been on a roller-coaster ride in 2023. At the start of the year, she was part of the India U-19 women’s team that won the ICC Women’s Under-19 T20 World Cup 2023.
Later, she was part of the Indian women’s team that won the gold medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
On Friday, she struck her maiden half-century in her debut Test against Australia Women at the Wankhede Stadium, scoring a crucial 52 and sharing a 113-run partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues (73) that put India in the driver’s seat in the one-off Test match.
Richa Ghosh, a natural stroke player who had to curb her instincts while batting on Friday, said she was not under pressure batting in the crucial position in her first match.
“It is Test cricket, it is going to test you. I would have had to come out of my comfort zone and today was the day. I got a lot of time to prepare ahead of this Test and sir (coach Amol Muzumdar) also helped with that,” said Ghosh in the day-end press conference.
Richa said the pitch was difficult to bat as it was offering uneven bounce and therefore she and Jemimah Rodrigues decided to bat cautiously at the start.
“We were watchful at the start. We discussed it when Smriti di (Smriti Mandhana) was (batting) there as to how the ball was bouncing off the pitch. We took our time to understand the bounce. All that information was shared in the dressing room as well as to the next batter,” said Richa.
The 20-year-old from Siliguri, West Bengal said Indian spinners had a real chance in Australia’s second innings if they managed to find some turn.
“As you have seen in this match, the pitch is offering uneven bounce. We saw some of the deliveries were keeping low while some of them were bouncing off it. If the spinners manage to find some turn then it could be difficult for the batters. Otherwise, the pitch would get slow gradually,” said Ghosh.
Richa, who got to know about her debut on the eve of the Test on Wednesday, said she did not allow the pressure to get to her.
“I was told by sir (Amol Muzumdar) that I was going to play the next match (against Australia). I was very happy since I was getting a chance. But I did not allow it to put any pressure on me. I approached this game with the idea that it is yet another match for me and that we have played ODIs and T20Is against Australia in the past. But I wanted to give myself time (in the middle) since this is about Test cricket,” she said.
Richa is coached by her father Manabendra Ghosh, who has made a lot of sacrifices to help her make a career in cricket. Her father was there at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday morning when India vice-captain Smriti Mandhana handed Richa her Test cap. Richa said her father was very emotional and could not speak anything for long.
She said fulfilling her own and her father’s dream was the most important moment for her.
“He is very happy. Like every other parent, he wanted his daughter to get a Test cap which is a huge thing. Indeed, he was not able to express it but despite him not saying anything, what we got to see was a big thing for me. He is there with me (for sharing this moment) and that is the most important thing for me,” said Richa Ghosh.
–IANS