'Dhoni finishes off in style.' would probably be the most iconic line in the history of Indian cricket. He defined the role of a finisher not just in the Indian team but also in the World of Cricket. Modern-day players have idolised the former Indian Captain and the biggest example is Jos Buttler. While MS retired from international cricket in 2019, a lot of active cricketers idolise him and the latest to join the list is Richa Ghosh, the rising star of Indian Women's cricket.
The 19-year-old came to the limelight after India's Super Over win against Australia. While India were looking solid when Smriti Mandhana was batting but as soon as the left-hander got out, the onus came to Richa which she handled beautifully. A quick-fire 26 of 13 took the game in Super Overs which India eventually won. After the game, Gosh shared her conversation with Smriti and said - "Smriti Didi (Mandhana) had told me 'Khatam karke aana' (come after finishing it), so I just did that," Ghosh said on the eve of the third T20I here.
The right-hander has hardly played 17 ODIs and 25 T20Is in her international career is young but her performance against Australia proved her ability going forward. She even said "I have always focused on power-hitting. I worked hard on it and also focused on my mental toughness. It all went according to our plan," she added, terming the second T20I knock as the best one of her budding career.
Richa Ghosh will be representing India in The first ever ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup which is set to take place in South Africa from January 2023. While the Indian Women's team is full of players that have stepped up on many occasions, the young batter doing that at such an early stage speaks volumes about where Women's Cricket is headed in India. She even stated how there is a designated plan and the team moves according to it.
"I always look to stay till the end and win it for my team. We had our plan in place. The idea was to keep the run flow going in the middle overs so that we don't have to go hard in the slog overs."
It's of little wonder that the India keeper-batter idolises none other than MS Dhoni and revealed that she grew up watching his shots.
Considering Richa is just 19, She has followed Dhoni's career and how India dominated under him. While Dhoni made his debut in 2004 and won the first T20 World Cup in 2007, Richa was hardly 3 years Old. She even credited the former Indian Captain for influencing her style of play she said - "Since childhood, I've followed Dhoni and how he used to finish the game,"
When asked about meeting Dhoni, she however has regret not being able to meet her idol yet. - "I haven’t had the opportunity to meet him yet. There have been times when he would leave just before we were in for a camp or a match at a venue. Hopefully, I'll meet him someday," Ghosh said, adding that she has not thought of what to ask her idol when she meets him someday.
Her father had the dream of becoming a Cricketer but since he couldn't fulfil it, he is living through her daughter. Ghosh even credited her father for inducting the passion in her."My dad (Manabendra Ghosh) also helped a lot to hone my power-hitting skills, he would go with me everywhere. He could not go on to become a successful cricketer so he's backing me fully to chase my dreams.
It's common for a teenager to gain weight and in the Pandemic Richa experienced the same but like her Idol, she has also focused on her personal health and worked her way into it. "I had worked on my fitness as I gained weight during COVID times and now I am focusing more on my fitness. I also worked on my shots while doing power hitting," she said.
(With PTI Inputs)
