Talented Indian wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh scored a fifty in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) played in Dambulla. In the process, she also became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a fifty in the history of the Women’s Asia Cup.
Ghosh came in to bat when India were reeling at 106-4 with over 8 overs left to play in the match. She joined her captain Harmanpreet Kaur at the crease. A partnership was needed at that point and Harmanpreet and Richa provided exactly that for the Women in Blue.
Ghosh showed her intent from the start. She hit six fours and a six in her first 14 balls and set the tone for a spectacular finish. While Harmanpreet Kaur struggled at the other end, Ghosh timed the balls to perfection and kept finding boundaries with absolute ease.
On a good pitch, she maintained her form while playing her shots and hit powerful blows. The wicketkeeper-batsman showed her full range of shots in the 15th over of the match bowled by Esha Oza and hit 4 fours in the over.
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Richa Ghosh becomes first Indian wicketkeeper to score fifty in Women’s Asia Cup
Richa Ghosh: The first Indian wicketkeeper in the history of the Women’s Asia Cup to score a fifty. 🫡 image.twitter.com/vmztGLU0Tn
-Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 21, 2024
Ghosh was sublime at the off-spinner’s end and took advantage of the big gaps to find boundaries at regular intervals. After Harmanpreet Kaur was dismissed in the last over, Ghosh came into her own. The right-hander hit 5 fours in a row to end India’s innings at 201-5. It was the first time India crossed the 200-run mark in Women’s T20Is.
In the process, she also hit her maiden T20I fifty in style, off just 26 balls. This was the first fifty by an Indian wicketkeeper in the history of the Women’s Asia Cup. Richa Ghosh remained unbeaten on 64 off 29 balls with 12 fours and 1 six.
Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur also played a superb hand with 66 off 47 balls, which included 7 fours and 1 six. Earlier, Shafali Verma continued her blistering form with a blistering 37 off just 18 balls at the top.
UAE batsmen struggle against top Indian bowlers
Chasing a massive target, UAE batters never got off to a good start from the start. Captain Esha Oza batted well, scoring 38 off 36 balls, but could not keep up with the scoring rate. Kavisha Egodage bowled well in the final overs to take UAE to 123-7 in 20 overs. Egodage finished unbeaten on 40 off 32 balls, which included 3 fours and 1 six.
The Indian players had a good collective day as all five players got at least one wicket. All-rounder Deepti Sharma got 2 wickets as India won the match by 78 runs. This was India’s second consecutive win after they defeated Pakistan by 7 wickets on Friday (July 19). India will now face Nepal in their final group stage match on June 23 (Tuesday).