Richa Ghosh fears Dutch bowlers, India unwilling to undermine debutants

Here is the full transcript of Richa Ghosh’s pre-match India Vs.

(Reporter:)

So, Rich, how much does that first inning help you going into the tournament? A big crucial knock when India were in trouble. So how much confidence do you take from going into the tournament, for the rest of the tournament?

(Richa Ghosh:)

I think it will really help me because it has given me confidence. And I think I only get confidence from the training match, from the warm-up games that we played. And I’m looking forward to it.

(Reporter:)

First day, well second day at night – different day. When you’re not running as well as you’d like and you’re going through a relatively lean stretch, how do you deal with it? Because in sports, challenges and adversity like that come into every player’s life, and that preseason game you just mentioned turned it around for you. But how to do it mentally? You talk to teammates. How will Richa Ghosh deal with this kind of adversity?

(Richa Ghosh:)

Yes, that’s true, but at that time I just focus on my game because I know I’m not running out of time, but I just think about what I can, like training. I can work more on my drills and all that and just focus on it’s okay if I don’t get in, but at that point I’m in good contact, but I’m not running. So it happened and I was talking to Harry and all the elders – Smirti and also sir that what should I do? And they were like, don’t worry, play your game and just focus. That’s all. And that helped me too.

(Reporter:)

Rich, your natural game is obviously an attacking game, but in that warm-up game we saw a different dimension to your game at the back. You saved the team. So do you think that particular innings helped you a lot to come back – get to where you got your confidence back? And you showed – did it help you in the match against Pakistan?

(Richa Ghosh:)

Yes, that shift helped me get back in shape. And I think this game will only give me more confidence before the Pakistan game. And yes, because the situation is different, like when the wicket is already down and I have so many overs, so I can stay there and play my own game. So that’s why I’m gaining confidence there.

(Reporter:)

You haven’t played the Netherlands yet, so what could you learn about them from watching their warm-up matches in the first match of the tournament? And what’s it like to play a team you don’t see very often?

(Richa Ghosh:)

I saw them before the World Cup – against Pakistan. I saw their games. They have good pitchers and this is the first time for them, right? So they’re doing really well and every team is like – they’re doing well and I think they’ve done really well. That’s why they’re here and we don’t take any team lightly and we’re just looking forward to it.

(Reporter:)

In the last World Cup too, we saw you batting with someone like Deepti Sharma many times and you saw that in the last match as well. So how was the experience of batting with her and how was your collaboration? Because it is quite crucial for India.

(Richa Ghosh:)

I think not only Team India, I played with them in Bengal too. She also came to play at home and we had a great chat. On the pitch, off the pitch too. So that helped us and we both know what we can do and we know when the ball isn’t there we can attack – rotate or we can give both of them a chance to hit big shots. And that helped us, as we are – we know each other really well.

(Reporter:)

In T20, players often say it’s about getting specialized roles. So what role did you get from leading the team? Obviously as a finisher, it’s a batting position or an entry point, that around the 12th or 14th over, what position are you going to bat?

(Richa Ghosh:)

It depends on the game and I think it depends on the coaches what they want from me because my role is to finish the game completely. So, whenever they need me, I’ll go out there and I think that’s – I’m looking forward to when they need me, I’ll go out there and get a score.

(Reporter:)

We did some quantitative research and analysis and we took your warm-up game against England and this one. The first few balls, the minute you’re out there for the first few balls, even if it’s say 9 of 9 or whatever, then there’s a massive acceleration. It’s helpful in that sense when you get to the first couple of balls rather than having to come on say the 17th and start pulling the ball from ball 1. Does that help you get in even though it’s a T20 format for the first couple of balls?

(Richa Ghosh:)

I think Harry helped me a lot on this one because when Harry and I were hitting it off and that’s when she told me not to take my time. There was nowhere to go and hit the ball off the first ball. You take your time and if you stay in the crease you can score a lot of runs. So I think I just remember the thing and play like that.

(Reporter:)

Richa, you have become one of the best not only in India but also in women’s cricket and I remember watching you at the WPL. How much did that experience in the WPL help you become the finisher you have become, or were there other factors in your development as a finisher?

(Richa Ghosh:)

The WPL helped – especially me a lot, because there were other players and a different team and we played domestic, domestic and foreign players as well. So the mix was especially helpful for me. And in my team there was Elyse Perry, then Sophie Devine, Smriti was the captain and others who I watch them like what they do. How they take the match. So it helped me a lot to understand how I can do for the team and what I can do for the team. I think in terms of experience, I have experience from there as well because Perry is good, you know – from the middle order, how she plays and finishes. Devine in the powerhouse, how he drives it. So I think it helped me understand better how I can plan my game. So I think it helped me a lot.

(Reporter:)

How important it is to get off to a good start in the T20 World Cup and get close to the ideal 11, as we saw in the last T20 World Cup when India lost to New Zealand in the opening match, it changed things for both teams. And the ODI World Cup last year, obviously you have more matches coming up. So how important is it to get off to a good start this time after winning the first game?

(Richa Ghosh:)

I think it’s always the beginning, it always gives you confidence and we’re moving forward one game at a time. So I’ll take the confidence from the first game into the second and we’ll look forward to enjoying ourselves one game at a time.