New Delhi: Indian wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh believes her match-winning cameo against Pakistan has restored her confidence as she looks to build momentum in the Women’s T20 World Cup.
Richa played a crucial innings of 34 off just 17 balls in India’s emphatic 64-run victory over Pakistan in Birmingham last Sunday, helping her side post a competitive total of 170.
“I think the knock against Pakistan will help me really well because it gave me confidence,” Richa said on the eve of India’s Group-stage clash against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
The 22-year-old revealed that her return to form began in a warm-up match against England, where she scored a half-century after enduring a lean run of scores leading into the tournament.
“I think I got the confidence from the practice match we played. I’m looking forward to the next matches,” she said.
Before the warm-up fixture, Richa had struggled for runs, registering scores of 0, 6, 8 and 4. She said she focused on improving her routines in the nets and sought advice from captain Harmanpreet Kaur, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana and head coach Amol Muzumdar.
“I was in good touch, but I was not getting runs. They told me to play my game and just focus. It helped me,” she said.
Richa added that her partnership with Deepti Sharma against Pakistan was built on years of understanding, having also played alongside the all-rounder in domestic cricket for Bengal.
“We know each other really well. If the ball is not there to hit, we rotate strike and wait for opportunities. That understanding helps us,” she said.
Despite India’s dominant start to the tournament, Richa said the team is not underestimating the Netherlands.
“I watched them before our Pakistan match. They have good bowlers and are doing really well. We are not taking any team lightly and are looking forward to the challenge,” she added.
