The confidence that Richa is batting with is a little terrifying, reveals Healy

Richa, along with her senior India teammate Shafali Verma, has been included in the inaugural Women’s Under-19 World Cup to be held in South Africa next month

Richa Ghosh is earning well-deserved praise for the way she bludgeoned the formidable Australian bowling attack and helped the Indian women score one of their greatest wins at Navi Mumbai’s D.Y. Patil Stadium on Sunday night.

“She has the potential to be (one of the most dangerous batters in international women’s cricket),” Australian captain Alyssa Healy said on Tuesday. “(At the) WBBL she probably did not have quite the impact as she is having in this series... The confidence that she is coming out and batting with, is probably a little terrifying for a lot of U-19 World Cup sides out there.”

Richa, along with her senior India teammate Shafali Verma, has been included in the inaugural Women’s Under-19 World Cup to be held in South Africa next month. “We are only thinking about this series now,” she said. “Once we join the U-19 camp, we will focus on those things. It won’t be a problem to jell with the team, as both Shafali and I have already met the players.”

Looking back at her heroics in the second T20I, she said she had given the word to her senior partner Smriti Mandhana that she would finish the job when the left-handed opener got out. “She had asked me to do that,” Richa said. “I always enjoy batting with senior players (like Smriti and Harmanpreet Kaur). I used to enjoy batting with Mithali Raj in the ODIs, too. From them we could learn how to build an innings.”

She said she had worked quite hard on her game and fitness during the Covid-19 break. “I worked on my power hitting and mental strength as well,” said the wicketkeeper-batter who idolises M.S. Dhoni, whom she has not been able to meet in person yet, though.

“I have been watching the way he finishes an innings,” she said. “He is an inspiration and so is my father, who also used to play cricket. I would like to meet Dhoni one day.”

The third T20I in the five-match series will start at the Brabourne Stadium here at 7 p.m. on Wednesday .