As Richa Ghosh pushed a Kim Garth full-length delivery towards mid-off for a single and brought up a maiden half-century on her debut Test, the Indian dugout gave her a standing ovation.
Watching the game from the President’s box at the Wankhede Stadium here, it was an emotional moment for Manabendra Ghosh, his wife Swapna and elder daughter Somashree, who had travelled all the way from Siliguri in West Bengal to watch their younger daughter Richa don the whites.
Richa Ghosh with her parents Manabendra and Swapna Ghosh | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini
All of 20 years of age, Richa is already a regular in India’s limited-overs sides, and is considered one of the promising finishers in the shortest format of the game. However, she had to warm the bench in the one-off Test against England last week. An opportunity came her way after Shubha Satheesh was ruled out of the encounter against Australia due to a finger fracture.
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A dream come true
On Wednesday evening, Richa was informed about her debut by head coach Amol Muzumdar, but the youngster ensured that she was not overwhelmed.
“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,” Richa said.
Becoming the second player from Siliguri to play Test cricket for India —Wriddhiman Saha being the first — Richa did not disappoint. She stitched a hundred-plus partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues to guide India to a comfortable position against the Aussies.
“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,” Richa said.
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Watching her parents cheer for her made it difficult for Richa to control her emotions. After all, her journey in the game began under the watchful eyes of her father and coach Manabendra. She nursed dreams of playing red ball cricket all through her formatives years, one that came true on this week.
“My father is very happy. Like every other parent, he wanted his daughter to get a Test cap which is a huge thing. It is true that 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 here with me and that is the most important thing for me,” she said.
Richa Ghosh with her parents | Photo Credit: Sportzpics for BCCI
It hasn’t been an easy journey for the stumper-batter. After gauging her interest for the sport, Manabendra enrolled her at the local Bagha Jatin Club, where she was the only girl. Richa made the most of the opportunity and was eventually called up for the senior Bengal camp in 2012-13. Thereafter, she would travel to Kolkata for state camps where she interacted with Saha and Jhulan Goswami, who were happy to guide her in every way possible.
Siliguri sentiments
Saha understands Richa’s predicament better than most. After all he made his own Test debut against South Africa in Nagpur 13 years ago, coming in as a replacement for an injured Rohit Sharma. The 39-year-old was happy to see Richa keep her calm on such a momentous occassion.
“It’s a huge thing for Richa and Bengal cricket. She was out of form for a while and was even left out on a few occasions. But it’s really good to see her coming back into the team and breaking into the Test team. It’s a huge honour,” Saha told Sportstar.
Saha remembers being impressed with what he saw of Richa the batter in a camp a few years ago. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K / The Hindu
“Both of us hail from Siliguri, so we know the challenge that a cricketer has to go through to come this far. It’s not easy. First, you need to impress at the district level, and only then can you come to Kolkata and play at the senior level. She has crossed all the hurdles, so, it has been an incredible journey and I hope that it inspires more girls to take up the sport,” Saha added.
Saha remembers being impressed with what he saw of Richa the batter in a camp a few years ago.
“She could play shots, but I felt that she could improve a lot more in wicketkeeping. I gave her a few suggestions,” Saha said. In 2021, when the men’s senior team toured England, the women’s side also was there on a tour and Richa was part of it. “I watched a few sessions and thought that she needed some more work to be successful at the international level. She was a keen listener and working on those suggestions…”
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Being the seasoned campaigner that he is, Saha has a few words of advice for his young statemate.
“If you want to play for the country for a long time, you need to be consistent. Ups and downs are part of a player’s career, but when you are having a good run, you need to have a long streak. That’s the main thing,” Saha said.
“If you can follow this, it helps you overcome challenging times. Another important aspect for a young cricketer is to make sure that you don’t get carried away. There will be times when you’ll enjoy all the attention, but you also need to handle the difficult times. That’s the challenge…”
It has been a memorable Test debut for Richa. Time to keep the momentum going.
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