She idolises Sachin Tendulkar, is a fan of Sourav Ganguly, hails from the same place as Wriddhiman Saha and her father is an umpire with the Cricket Association of Bengal. Richa Ghosh, somehow, seems to be all about cricket.
Richa, all of 16, was one of the most talked about subjects in Indian cricket on Sunday after she made it to the India squad for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia.
The BCCI named a 15-member squad for the mega event beginning on February 21. The young-but-strong squad led by Harmanpreet Singh also includes 15-year-old sensation Shafali Verma.
For Richa, it was no less than a dream come true. The Siliguri girl was in the midst of a Bengal Challengers match in Mankundu, Hooghly, when she got the big news.
“It was like a dream come true for me. I got the news of my selection during the innings break of the game. My father Manabendra Ghosh and Bengal women’s team coach Shiv Shankar Paul were the first to congratulate me. My teammates and everybody else who were present at the ground also congratulated me,” Richa told The Telegraph.
“I have been playing well for the last two-three years, but, honestly speaking, I was still not sure about my selection. I just kept my fingers crossed,” she added.
Proud father Manabendra is confident that her daughter will do well in India colours. “She was a consistent participant at the coaching camps of the CAB. Now she has been selected in the national team,” he said.
Richa’s preparation for the T20 World Cup began soon after she got the news of her selection.
“I have never played outside India. So to gather some knowledge about Australian conditions, I talked with Jhulandi (Goswami). She gave me some important tips and I believe those will definitely help me,” the Class X student of Margaret (Sister Nivedita) English School said.
Richa is essentially a middle order batter. But she can bowl medium pace as well and has also kept wickets for the senior Bengal team.
“I started playing cricket at the age of five at Baghajatin Cricket Club in Siliguri. I used to bat, bowl and keep wickets and that practice remains. I can bat as an opener too,” she claimed.
Before she leaves for Australia, Richa would seek a special person’s advice. “I have grown up watching videos of Sachin Tendulkar’s batting. I like Souravda too. I met him once when a group photo of the Bengal senior women’s team was being clicked last year. But I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. I would like get his tips before going to Australia.”
That wish too is likely to be fulfilled soon.
Additional reporting by Bireswar Banerjee in Siliguri
