Flamboyant wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, who went up to the head coach Amol Muzumdar with confidence and composure to embrace her role as a finisher, reckons that India’s World Cup-winning team was based on trust and role clarity.
After being denied the trophy twice, India eventually made it to the top to grab their first-ever Women’s ODI World Cup title, overpowering Laura Wolvaardt’s South Africa by 52 runs in front of a packed and loud DY Patil Stadium crowd in Navi Mumbai.
“My job was simple, finish strong,” says Richa Ghosh
Speaking on JioStar’s Follow The Blues, the 22-year-old said her primary responsibility was to close out innings with aggression and precision.
“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, maintaining a high strike rate, and putting pressure on the opposition bowlers,” said Richa, who smashed a crucial 34 off 24 balls in the final to lift India to 298/7.
South Africa, in reply, folded for 246, sealing India’s historic victory.
Richa credited head coach Amol Muzumdar for instilling confidence and structure within the squad.
“Amol sir made everyone’s role in the team very clear. For me, it was to play fearless cricket, look for the big shots, and finish the innings strongly,” she explained. “He always told me to take my time to settle in and back my strengths. That gave me a lot of confidence to perform under pressure.”
In preparation for the tournament, Richa worked hard to strike a balance between aggression and patience.
“Before the World Cup, I focused on spending more time at the crease and building my innings. I practised playing grounded shots and avoiding rash dismissals. Keeping the scoreboard ticking was key,” she added.
Her approach paid off handsomely. Richa finished the tournament with 235 runs from eight innings, including one half-century, placing her among India’s top-five run-getters. Her strike rate of 133.52 was the highest among Indian players, and she equalled the record for the most sixes (12) in a single edition of the Women’s World Cup — matching West Indies power-hitter Deandra Dottin.
The daughter of an umpire, Richa’s cricketing journey began early. “Jhulan didi has played a huge role in my journey,” she said, referring to legendary pacer Jhulan Goswami, under whom she made her domestic debut for Bengal. “She’s always guided me — from adapting to situations to improving my game. I owe a lot to her.”
As the final catch was taken and the celebrations began, Richa said the team was overwhelmed by emotion.
“We were so overjoyed that we didn’t even know how to celebrate! Harman didi was speechless. And when Deepti didi got that last wicket, it just didn’t feel real. We were all soaking in that moment,” she recalled.
And amid the celebrations, the team revealed a special secret — their self-composed team song.
“We actually created our team song a few series ago but made a pact to only sing it after winning the World Cup,” Richa revealed. “Every player contributed to it, and when we finally won, we sang it together on the ground. It was magical.”
(By PTI Inputs)
