My job was to finish strongly, says Richa Ghosh

Richa Ghosh said her focus during India’s historic ICC Women’s World Cup win was on building her innings and finishing strong. She credited Coach Amol Muzumdar and Jhulan Goswami for guiding her and described the team’s victory as “magical and unforgettable.”

Hyderabad: Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, who played a big role in India’s maiden ICC Women’s World Cup triumph last week, said she was really focused on spending more time at the crease and building my innings.

“Whenever I got the chance to play, I concentrated on playing grounded shots and making sure I didn’t throw my wicket away. For me, it was all about keeping the scoreboard ticking with singles and holding up one end. That’s what I worked on the most,” Richa said in a chat with JioHotStar’s “Follow The Blues’.

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“My main job was to finish innings strongly by scoring quickly in the final overs. Whenever I got the chance to bat, my focus was on applying the finishing touches. I aimed to maintain a high strike rate and put pressure on the opposition bowlers. Scoring those extra runs reduces the pressure on our team and gives us a better chance to win,” she explained.

“My mindset is simple. Whenever I come to bat, if the ball is in my zone, I go for my shots. Hitting a boundary or a six in a pressure situation really helps release the tension. If it’s a good delivery, I’m happy to take a single and target the next ball. That’s the method I stick to,” Richa said.

On how Coach Amol Muzumdar’s instructions helped her perform at her best, Richa said that Amol Sir made everyone’s role in the team very clear. “For me, it was simple: play fearless cricket, look for the big shots, and finish the innings strongly. He also assured me that it was okay to take a little time to settle in. That trust he showed, believing I could pull off the big hits under pressure, helped me immensely,” she explained.

On the influence of Jhulan Goswami on her career, Richa, who also comes from Bengal, said Jhulan didi had played a huge role in her journey. “She was my Captain when I made my domestic debut for Bengal. She’s always been there to guide me, even when I started playing for India. She taught me how to adapt my game to different situations and shared invaluable advice on improving as a player. I’m truly grateful for her support,” she said.

On the team’s winning environment, Richa said, ” Honestly, the dressing room atmosphere was fantastic from day one.“Even during tough phases, no one was afraid because we always had each other’s backs. That support system was our biggest strength. And when we finally won the final, the feeling was just incredible, completely different and absolutely unforgettable,” she explained.

On the special story behind the team’s victory song, Richa said they actually created it a few series ago. “It was something we really wanted. But we made a pact to only sing it and reveal it to the world after we lifted the World Cup trophy. Every player contributed to it in some way. So, the moment we won at the DY Patil Stadium, we just knew we had to sing it right there on the ground. It was a magical feeling,” she said.

On the euphoric moment of winning the World Cup final, Richa said that when those final South African wickets started falling, and Harman didi (Captain Harmanpreet Kaur) took that last catch, they were all just scattered in different directions. “We were so overwhelmed that we didn’t even know how to celebrate! Harman didi was absolutely speechless, just pure joy. And when Deepti didi got that last wicket, even she couldn’t process that we’d actually won the World Cup. We were all just living in that moment, soaking it all in before it even sank in,” she said.