Richa Ghosh dismantles demons, doubts and boundary ropes to usher in new dawn

Against South Africa, in the ongoing ICC ODI Women’s World Cup, India encountered an early avalanche which ran over their top-order, leaving only fears and traces of what could have been a potential collapse. Wobbling at 102/6, India were down to their last straws of resistance and in walked Richa Ghosh. Ghosh, who had struggled in the ongoing iteration of the global competition had to come up with something iconic if India were to survive the early scare.

The first six balls which she confronted were only an echo-chamber of the prevailing circumstances. India had gone into a shell which saw them being deprived of a tryst with the fence for a staggering 86 balls. The pressure was through the skies and the pundits predicted that it was just a matter of time before something buckled.

However, Ghosh comes from a different posse of players. If there is one thing that she hardly cares about, that is resorting to a defensive assortment of shots. She is swinging for the fence, no matter the situation, no matter the challenges. That spunk of hers is what eventually got her into the galloping stride while India found the first trace of momentum after an eternity of being dormant.

She struck Chloe Tryon with a gentle shift of her back-leg, smashing her over mid-on for a boundary. That wasn’t just four runs for India but a glimpse of the key to unlock the shackles that were getting hefty with every succeeding delivery. Before it could entrench itself further onto the skin of the Indian players, Ghosh shifted her attention to Ayabonga Khakha, getting a tad lucky as her furious drive somehow managed to leave Sune Luus with a lot to desire for in terms of her fielding flair.

Despite her natural game calling for ruthless aggression, Ghosh read the runes well and didn’t want India to fall prey to the temptation of going big mindlessly. She induced a method to her madness which saw her switch frequently between the first and the fifth gear. Tryon found herself at the receiving end of Richa’s aggression again as she swept the former effortlessly over short fine leg.

Tumi Sekhukhune learnt the hard way that an inch of error can turn into an unforgivable crime when it comes to dealing with Richa. Attempting the yorker, she missed her mark and Richa, very ruthlessly, smacked her over wide long on. This was simply a harbinger of the storm to come and Richa was just handing out the signposts in advance.

A few moments later, her boundary against Nonkululeko Mlaba bore testament to the fact that she wasn’t about simply swinging for the fence. She had a cricketing acumen that would put geniuses to shame, paddling one past the keeper, anticipating the line early enough. She had already instilled hopes in the Indian fans while her singles collection started looking impressive too. Nadine de Klerk had a taste of Richa’s domination when her slower delivery was outwitted and outmuscled over deep midwicket for a maximum.

She brought up her fifty with a whimper vis-à-vis her solid prelude to crossing the milestone. It was an outside edge that got her to 49 before she snuck a single off Nadine to reach 50. If the first half of her innings was an orchestra of calm, the second half was a Jazz show performed to the sheer brutal instincts that a batter cooks up, a knock that had no structure or shackles but it seeped into the fabric of the game as if Richa was made for this very moment.

Khaka, Kapp, Sekhkhune, de Klerk were all up against a storm that would consume them and eventually allowed India to fight back. Everyone thought that Richa would have completed her century which would have been a feat to cherish for a lifetime. Sadly, she concluded her innings just six runs shy of history, ending with a 77-ball 94. However, this knock from Richa would definitely be the one that would be inspiring the Women in Blue as they start their hustle in getting back to winning ways.