It turns out to be a case of so near and yet so far for Richa Ghosh. The prodigious talent from Siliguri was primed for a maiden international century, but the 20-year-old holed out while going for a boundary. Caught at cover, she returned to the Wankhede Stadium pavilion heartbroken. She was on 96 off 114. (Scorecard | More Cricket News)
The young wicketkeeper-batter's knock almost helped India beat Australia in the Mumbai thriller on Saturday. Chasing Australia's 258/8 to keep the three-match series alive, India failed to keep the calm in an eventful match.
Asked to bowl first, India dropped as many as seven catches, then witnessed a nasty collision between Sneh Rana and Pooja Vastrakar which led to the former needing a visit to the hospital. Amid the chaos, Deepti Sharma, the imperious all-rounder, registered the best bowling figures by an Indian woman against the Aussies.
The star of the show, however, was Richa Ghosh. The youngster arrived in the middle with the bat after the fall of Yastika Bhatia in the seventh over, and took charge of India's chase, establishing crucial stands with Smriti Mandhana (34 off 38) and Jemimah Rodrigues (44 off 55). And she almost anchored the innings.
In the 44th over, she played a lofted drive, blamed it on cramps, off an Annabel Sutherland delivery, but could only find Phoebe Litchfield at cover. Her wicket triggered a mini-collapse with India losing Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar and Harleen Deol, who replaced Sneh Rana as a concussion substitute, in quick succession.
Then, the onus fell on debutant Shreyanka Patil and Deepti Sharma. 16 runs required in the last over. Deepti hit Sutherland for a four off the first ball to reduce the tension. Two singles followed, then a wide. A dot, a single, and four off the last ball, off the bat of Patil. Result: India fell agonisingly short.
The third and final ODI will be played at the same venue on January 2, 2023. The two teams will then move base to Navi Mumbai, where they will continue rivalry in the new year, in the T20Is.
