Wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh was in top form as she got her maiden WPL fifty for RCB.
Richa Ghosh was in sensational batting form in Match 2 of the ongoing WPL 2024 as she took RCB to 157/6 in 20 overs. UP Warriorz initially won the toss and opted to bowl and got a strong start. RCB stuttered early as openers Sophie Devine (1) and Smriti Mandhana (13) departed quickly. Meanwhile, Ellyse Perry (8) also failed to get going in RCB’s campaign opener.
RCB’s Richa Ghosh plays a shot.(PTI)
Then, Sabbhineni Meghana and Richa Ghosh had other plans as they built a fantastic partnership to set the foundation before the second strategic timeout. But just when they looked like they would bat till the final over, UP Warriorz struck and got a few more wickets. Meghana got a half-century, hammering 53 off 44 balls, packed with seven fours and a six.
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Meanwhile, Ghosh smacked 62 off 37 balls and reached her maiden fifty in only 31 deliveries. This is also her best WPL score. Ghosh and Meghana helped RCB get 93 off the last 10 overs as they staged a stunning comeback.
The best moment during the first innings was in the 18th over when Ghosh clobbered a hat-trick of fours against Tahlia McGrath. In the second delivery of the over, the Aussie all-rounder sent a length ball, around off, which Ghosh launched over the bowler’s head for a four and also got her fifty.
Then in the next delivery, she creamed McGrath through backward point for a four and then directed the next ball to the third man boundary for another four. The India wicketkeeper-batter lost her wicket in the next over, falling to international teammate Deepti Sharma.
Speaking after RCB’s innings, Meghana opened up about her batting approach and also revealed that she was trying to give maximum strike to Ghosh. “It’s a great feeling to score a fifty for RCB. There is a lot of hard work and practice behind it. I was a little nervous initially, but I calmed down later. The plan was simple, just wanted to utilize the powerplay. Wanted to score as many runs as possible in the powerplay. I was trying to give her (Richa Ghosh) maximum strike so that she could play till the 20th over,” she said.
