At 18, Richa Ghosh is a 'complete package'
WBBL could help the India wicket-keeper get a ticket to the World Cup, says her father.
Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma and Radhav Yadav joining this season’s Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) was expected. But Richa Ghosh being signed by Hobart Hurricanes was not.
Ghosh, who has played just nine T20 games, caught the attention of the Hurricanes’ think-tank when she scored 32 off 29 balls on her ODI debut against Australia to go with her wicket-keeping skills.
After the first ODI at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, her father Manabendra Ghosh got a call from the WBBL franchise asking for his consent required to let Ghosh sign the contract. “We never expected Richa to get a WBBL contract this soon,” said Ghosh Senior from Siliguri on Tuesday which was also his daughter’s 18thbirthday.
Ghosh has had a good time in Australia where she is also part of the T20I and Test squad. She scored 44 off 50 balls to help India to a good total of 274/7 in the second ODI. Earlier, the more experienced Taniya Bhatia was the preferred in the ODI format. Given a chance in the three-match ODI series, Ghosh made the opportunity count. Her fearless batting and quick running between wickets has bolstered the middle-order.
“Richa has played fearless cricket since her junior Bengal days. She is hungry for runs, taking good catches behind the wicket and even bowling quick deliveries,” said Rituparna Roy, head coach of the Bengal women’s team. Ghosh has opened the bowling for Bengal with Jhulan Goswami, said Roy.
“She loves challenges and is going to do well for India in the next 12-15 years.”
Ghosh took to the sport when she was six. She would accompany her father who played for Baghajatin Athletic Club in Siliguri. The connection with cricket was instant forcing her father to enroll her at his club for training.
“She has done well in junior cricket for Bengal. That’s how she got the India team call-up. She has become very professional and even refuses to “rossogolla” at home,” said her father.
It was while playing for her club that Ghosh was called for senior Bengal camp in 2012-13. When she was 11, Ghosh was selected to the Bengal under-19 side. She broke into the U-23 side and the senior team when she was a little over 12. She was named Bengal woman cricketer of the year in 2018.
Ghosh made her T20I debut in the Tri-series in Australia in 2020 before the T20 World Cup.
Ghosh primarily came into the India side as a batter. With Bhatia’s batting not coming off, Ghosh was first tried as a wicket-keeper playing for Trailblazers in the T20 Women’s Challenge held in UAE last year by captain Smriti Mandhana. Thereafter, she played in the T20Is as a keeper against England.
“She admires Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni the most. Once during a match in Jharkhand she wanted to meet Dhoni but she could not as he was not in the town. She loves the way Dhoni conducted himself on the field as a cricketer. WBBL will provide her a platform to showcase her abilities ahead of the ODI World Cup (later this year),” said her father.