As Richa Ghosh pushed a Kim Garth full-length supply in the direction of mid-off for a single and introduced up a maiden half-century on her debut Take a look at, the Indian dugout gave her a standing ovation.
Watching the sport from the President’s field on the Wankhede Stadium right here, it was an emotional second for Manabendra Ghosh, his spouse Swapna and elder daughter Somashree, who had travelled all the way in which from Siliguri in West Bengal to look at their youthful daughter Richa don the whites.
Richa Ghosh along with her dad and mom Manabendra and Swapna Ghosh
| Picture Credit score:
Emmanual Yogini
Richa Ghosh along with her dad and mom Manabendra and Swapna Ghosh
| Picture Credit score:
Emmanual Yogini
All of 20 years of age, Richa is already an everyday in India’s limited-overs sides, and is taken into account one of many promising finishers within the shortest format of the sport. Nevertheless, she needed to heat the bench within the one-off Take a look at towards England final week. A chance got here her means after Shubha Satheesh was dominated out of the encounter towards Australia as a consequence of a finger fracture.
ALSO READ: IND-W vs AUS-W Take a look at: Deepti, Vastrakar lengthen India’s lead with century stand on Day 2
A dream come true
On Wednesday night, Richa was knowledgeable about her debut by head coach Amol Muzumdar, however the teen ensured that she was not overwhelmed.
“I used to be very comfortable since I used to be getting an opportunity. However I didn’t enable it to place any strain on me. I approached this sport with the concept it’s yet one more match for me and that we now have performed ODIs and T20Is towards Australia prior to now. However I wished to provide myself time (within the center) since that is about Take a look at cricket,” Richa mentioned.
Turning into the second participant from Siliguri to play Take a look at cricket for India —Wriddhiman Saha being the primary — Richa didn’t disappoint. She stitched a hundred-plus partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues to information India to a cushty place towards the Aussies.
“It’s Take a look at cricket, it’s going to check you. I might have needed to come out of my consolation zone and at present was the day,” Richa mentioned.
ALSO READ: IND vs AUS one-off Take a look at: Perseverance, thy title is Pooja Vastrakar
Watching her dad and mom cheer for her made it tough for Richa to regulate her feelings. In spite of everything, her journey within the sport started underneath the watchful eyes of her father and coach Manabendra. She nursed goals of taking part in purple ball cricket all via her formatives years, one which got here true on this week.
“My father could be very comfortable. Like each different guardian, he wished his daughter to get a Take a look at cap which is a large factor. It’s true that he was not capable of categorical it however regardless of him not saying something, what we acquired to see was an enormous factor for me. He’s right here with me and that’s the most essential factor for me,” she mentioned.
Richa Ghosh along with her dad and mom
| Picture Credit score:
Sportzpics for BCCI
Richa Ghosh along with her dad and mom
| Picture Credit score:
Sportzpics for BCCI
It hasn’t been a straightforward journey for the stumper-batter. After gauging her curiosity for the game, Manabendra enrolled her on the native Bagha Jatin Membership, the place she was the one woman. Richa made the a lot of the alternative and was ultimately referred to as up for the senior Bengal camp in 2012-13. Thereafter, she would journey to Kolkata for state camps the place she interacted with Saha and Jhulan Goswami, who have been comfortable to information her in each means doable.
Siliguri sentiments
Saha understands Richa’s predicament higher than most. In spite of everything he made his personal Take a look at debut towards South Africa in Nagpur 13 years in the past, coming in as a alternative for an injured Rohit Sharma. The 39-year-old was comfortable to see Richa hold her calm on such a momentous occassion.
“It’s an enormous factor for Richa and Bengal cricket. She was off form for some time and was even ignored on a couple of events. However it’s actually good to see her coming again into the crew and breaking into the Take a look at crew. It’s an enormous honour,” Saha instructed Sportstar.
Saha remembers being impressed with what he noticed of Richa the batter in a camp a couple of years in the past.
| Picture Credit score:
MURALI KUMAR Okay / The Hindu
Saha remembers being impressed with what he noticed of Richa the batter in a camp a couple of years in the past.
| Picture Credit score:
MURALI KUMAR Okay / The Hindu
“Each of us hail from Siliguri, so we all know the problem {that a} cricketer has to undergo to return this far. It’s not simple. First, it’s essential to impress on the district degree, and solely then are you able to come to Kolkata and play on the senior degree. She has crossed all of the hurdles, so, it has been an unbelievable journey and I hope that it conjures up extra ladies to take up the game,” Saha added.
Saha remembers being impressed with what he noticed of Richa the batter in a camp a couple of years in the past.
“She may play photographs, however I felt that she may enhance much more in wicketkeeping. I gave her a couple of recommendations,” Saha mentioned. In 2021, when the lads’s senior crew toured England, the ladies’s facet additionally was there on a tour and Richa was a part of it. “I watched a couple of classes and thought that she wanted some extra work to achieve success on the worldwide degree. She was a eager listener and dealing on these recommendations…”
ALSO READ: The case for extra girls’s Checks — lengthy overdue however not as simple
Being the seasoned campaigner that he’s, Saha has a couple of phrases of recommendation for his younger statemate.
“If you wish to play for the nation for a very long time, it’s essential to be constant. Ups and downs are a part of a participant’s profession, however when you’re having a superb run, it’s essential to have an extended streak. That’s the primary factor,” Saha mentioned.
“In case you can observe this, it helps you overcome difficult occasions. One other essential side for a younger cricketer is to just be sure you don’t get carried away. There can be occasions once you’ll take pleasure in all the eye, however you additionally must deal with the tough occasions. That’s the problem…”
It has been a memorable Take a look at debut for Richa. Time to maintain the momentum going.