Richa Ghosh interview: A finisher’s unfinished business at the T20 World Cup

As she nears her 21st birthday, Richa Ghosh has become one of India’s key players for the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE, showcasing her remarkable talent and rapid ascent in the cricket world.

Switching tactics: Head coach Amol Muzumdar saw Richa’s potential beyond her finishing role, promoting her to number 3 in ODIs to play more impactful and long innings. | Photo Credit: PTI

During the Senior Women’s Inter Zonal Multi-Day Trophy final in April this year, a spirited South Zone side, featuring players such as Sajeevan Sajana, Minnu Mani, and Arundhati Reddy, threatened to ruin what had been a fairly smooth run for the Deepti Sharma-led East Zone.

If you were standing by the East Zone tent, amidst all the cheers, one chant stood out: “ Haan, Richa aur Deepti hai. Maar lenge“ (Richa and Deepti will see it through). These words served as fuel for the young Richa Ghosh, just four years into her international career. Known for her explosive batting, she’s feared and admired equally.

“This is something I’ve been experiencing a lot lately,” Richa says, reflecting on the thrilling final that East Zone eventually won.

“I think hearing those cheers at the domestic level helped me a lot. Knowing that a bunch of people have so much trust in me, saying, ‘ Richa hai toh ho jayega’ (If Richa is there, it’ll happen), is incredible. It makes you want to prove them right. There are people who believe I can achieve something, so I have to, no matter what.”

Just a month before this final, Richa played a pivotal role in an incredible turnaround for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Women’s Premier League (WPL). During the second leg of the tournament in New Delhi, RCB’s campaign was hanging by a thread, with its qualification hopes relying on increasingly complex scenarios. RCB began the final week with a gut-wrenching one-run loss to Delhi Capitals. The image of a devastated Richa, who was run out on the last ball, went viral on social media. She was inconsolable as Delhi’s Jemimah Rodrigues and Meg Lanning came over to comfort her.

Read |India captain Harmanpreet wants to play freely and enjoy her cricket at the Women’s T20 World Cup

“You’ll win the World Cup for us, Richa!” Jemimah was overheard telling her India teammate.

“Every player should experience something like that at some point in their career because there’s so much to learn,” Richa shares. “I’m glad I faced something like that so early. I was very hurt after that game because I couldn’t finish it in our favour. All I wanted was to move on quickly and finish the next game properly. As a hitter, I like finishing matches, and that time, I couldn’t.”

A week later, against the same opponent at the same venue, Richa righted the wrongs, hitting the winning runs and leading RCB to its first WPL title.

All these experiences, transformative or otherwise, have sharpened Richa’s focus on glory in India colours. At just 20, she’s already one of India’s trump cards ahead of the Women’s T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates — evidence of her immense talent and meteoric rise in what is one of the most competitive eras for the sport.

Learning on the job

When India played England and Australia last winter, head coach Amol Muzumdar, fresh in the role, saw the potential for Richa beyond her finishing capability. He envisioned her as a more versatile player and gave her the number 3 slot in ODIs, hoping she could build larger and more impactful innings.

Learning curve: Last WPL, Richa Ghosh was inconsolable after being run out against Delhi Capitals on the final ball, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru needing two runs from the last delivery. But Richa says she has learnt a lot from that experience. | Photo Credit: R. V. MOORTHY

“Essentially, I’m a finisher. I’ll do that wherever I’m slotted. If I’m sent out to open, go one down, or come in at number 5, I aim to finish the game from there. So, I’ve never been particular about the batting order.”

Read | Indian players working on mental strength ahead of T20 World Cup: Harmanpreet Kaur

Richa’s willingness to embrace pressure and her ability to step into this role address one of India’s biggest challenges in big tournaments — maintaining momentum and closing out matches.

Several World Cup campaigns across both formats come to mind, including the heartbreaking ODI World Cup loss in England in 2017 and the collapse in the T20 World Cup final against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 2020. As India continues to tackle issues like its inconsistent pace attack, middle-order stability, and fielding, Richa has been focusing on sharpening her technique.

Patience and perseverance

“I’ve tried to become a calmer version of myself,” Richa shares. “When I was new to the team, there wasn’t much pressure, but I was overly eager to make every opportunity count. I just wanted to hit every ball. Now, there’s a lot of difference in how I construct an innings and focus on building partnerships.”

Learning to value her wicket is something Richa’s father also pointed out, and over the past 12 months, it has become a conscious part of her game.

International experiences, like her stints in the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) and The Hundred, have been instrumental in her growth.

“I remember being very shy and nervous during my first WBBL stint. My English wasn’t that good, and I wasn’t sure how to communicate effectively with my teammates. I learnt to adapt, which not only helped me make friends but also understand how different leagues, countries, and players approach the game.”

While Richa was away with Birmingham Phoenix in August, the Indian team held a camp to work on fitness and skills. A week before its departure for the UAE, there was another camp focused on fine-tuning skills to prepare for what India hopes will be a strong World Cup campaign.

Read | ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 Squads: Full list of teams, players for global event in UAE

“I think my stint at The Hundred really helped with my preparation because I had to face swing and bounce. So I kept that in mind throughout the tournament. When I got back, I adjusted my practice to handle both swing and slower surfaces. Bowlers often try to slow things down against me, so I’ve been working on using that to my advantage.”

Guardian of the sticks: Richa Ghosh’s presence behind the stumps will be key for India at the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup.  | Photo Credit: K Murali Kumar

India’s preparation for the World Cup has been somewhat unusual. After losing to Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final in July, the team hasn’t played any international cricket, while countries like Pakistan, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand have been playing bilateral series to fine-tune their squads.

Richa prefers match practice over training but has adapted to the lack of competitive games.

“I like playing matches, whether they’re practice games or regular open nets. That’s when I can identify my weaknesses. In regular nets, you might hit a shot and think it’s a sure boundary, but in a match, it could go straight to the fielder. I set up cones in the nets and imagine fielders in certain positions to work on my shot-making and placement. This approach has helped me improve my batting and fine-tune my shot selection based on the delivery and the match situation.”

Richa will turn 21 just before the World Cup kicks off in Dubai and Sharjah. After some quiet training and a holiday with her family in London following The Hundred, she’s refreshed and ready for the big event.

Despite her focus, Richa still believes in having fun and hopes that energy will be contagious as India aims for strong support in October. She also feels the gap between teams is narrowing.

“I think the World Cup is going to be really close because everyone’s playing more games and playing them well. There’s a lot of talent, and every team is improving. Just look at what Sri Lanka has achieved this past year. Ireland’s results have also been impressive, even though they aren’t in the World Cup. The whole ecosystem is improving, including us. We’re thinking about how to beat Australia and New Zealand, but now they’re also thinking, ‘How do we beat India?’ Every team is showing they deserve to be part of this international stage, which makes the competition really exciting.”

“ Bohot maza aayega. Aap sab aao aur enjoy karo (It’ll be a lot of fun. Come and enjoy it)”, she signs off.