Richa Ghosh powers incredible fightback despite India falling short against England
As India played their last warm-up game ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, the result didn’t really reflect the spirited mood in the dugout. However, a solid fightback from Richa Ghosh was definitely the highlight of the match. Walking out to bat at number five, Ghosh’s blistering innings hogged the limelight after India suffered early hiccups.
England posted 171, batting first. Shreyanka Patil led the Indian bowling charge with figures of 2/29 from her four overs. India found themselves in early trouble as they lost Smriti Mandhana (1), Shafali Verma (13), Yastika Bhatia (15) and Harmanpreet Kaur (17). Bharti Fulmali (18) looked good during her stay but succumbed to Dani Gibson.
Ghosh started motoring almost single-handedly, knowing the odds. Richa took her time to settle down. The first sign of aggression came against Lauren Filer as Richa sent the ball crashing to the fence. Up next in her long line of victims, Linsey Smith was also sent to the fence.
Ghosh combined aggression and calm in the same breath. She would wait for the looseners to dispatch them to the fence. From Lauren Filer to Tilly Corteen-Coleman, no one was spared. By the time she fell in the 20th over, she had already amassed 68 off just 36 balls, smashing nine fours and two sixes.
Richa’s destructive innings took India from 63/4 to 166 in response to England’s 171. With Richa getting runs ahead of the biennial extravaganza, this will be a massive boost in confidence for the Women in Blue.
