'Dard Hai, Sochna Nahi Hai': Richa Ghosh's Coach Reveals How She Played With Pain In WC Knockouts

U19 T20 World Cup: Though Bengal endured a difficult time on the field in their recent Ranji Trophy game against Tripura, bowling coach Shib Shankar Paul had his reason to be somewhat joyful – his student, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh – was the member of the Indian team beating South Africa by 52 runs to clinch their first-ever Women’s ODI World Cup title.

"I felt really good. I mean, a student of mine has won the World Cup, and it will always feel very good. The whole of India is happy. So I am very happy that a student of mine won the World Cup," Paul told IANS in an exclusive interview.

But what Paul revealed next added another layer to Richa's heroics: she played the semi-final and final with a hairline fracture in her left-hand middle finger. Richa originally sustained the injury while keeping against New Zealand in the group stage and sat out of the washed-out fixture against Bangladesh.

But Paul knew Richa would play through the pain via a simple message he shared with her. "Dard hai, sochna nahi hai (yes, pain is there, but you don't have to think about it) - 150 crore people are watching you. Think about it and you have to win. I knew she would play despite the injury. I mean, she is very tough and she played the semi-final and final despite being in a lot of pain," he said.

Richa finished the tournament with 235 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 133.52, hitting a record 12 sixes – the most by an Indian batter in a single Women’s World Cup edition. Apart from having a strike rate of 165.17 in overs 41-50, Richa’s blazing 94 against South Africa in the league stage in Visakhapatnam remains the highest score by a number eight batter in Women's ODIs.

"I liked her performances in the World Cup. It would have been better if there was a hundred off her bat or two-three more fifties were hit. But I felt that in the situations the team found itself in the competition, she did put in her contributions and fulfilled them to a large extent," said Paul.

Richa's journey from Siliguri to Kolkata - a distance of nearly 200 kilometers - was never easy. There was a dearth of opportunities in her hometown, and she had to play with boys because there were no separate training facilities. Women's cricket, especially in the suburbs, had seen way too many similar storylines before.

But her father Manabendra, as per Paul, would leave everything to bring his daughter to the city for training. In Siliguri, he would bowl to her on a concrete pitch near their home, and endure criticism from the neighbours, who questioned why his daughter was playing cricket.

“Look, it is a big thing to have your family’s backing. It is a big thing to live in Kolkata from Siliguri. My house is far from her house – like there’s a distance of approximately 200 kilometers. So, I knew how to struggle, settle in Kolkata, live in a hotel or be in an ashram for many days – so this is a big thing.

"At that time, girls did not do much batting and bowling in the academy. His father used to leave everything and bring her to Kolkata every time. He used to go with her to the district matches or CAB games. I salute his father and I will just say that 'You are great, Richa came on Earth for you only'.”

“Coaches will come and go, but the support of her father and mother will always be there. I also told Richa one thing, 'When you grow up, you have to take care of your family. Always worship your father and you will grow higher and higher in life'," said Paul.

Though Paul coached Richa from the time she was 13, it wasn’t until Bengal’s game against Delhi in the 2019 domestic T20 matches that he was totally convinced about her potential to play for India. In that game, Bengal crawled to 35 runs in 10 overs, seemingly headed for disaster. Then Richa walked in and changed everything.

"She came in to score 67 and took us past 150 in no time. At that time, Reema Malhotra was in the opposition team. From that game, everything changed for the good for Richa – like everyone saw how hard she could hit the ball, whether it was on the rise, as well as above cover, mid-on and mid-wicket.

“She was 15 years old at that time – she would play as an opening batter, who would sometimes bowl and sometimes keep wickets. This meant we used to call her a 'storage' – like whenever we got time, we would use her either for bowling or at times, keeping," he recalled with a hearty laugh.

After that game, Paul had Richa stop bowling and shift focus entirely on wicketkeeping. With Richa being a massive MS Dhoni fan and wanting to be a finisher like her idol, Paul obliged. Back then, Richa was raw - she could hit the ball hard, but lacked control and tactical nous. But over the years, she has evolved.

"I gave her batting at number five. I told her that, 'you are a Dhoni fan, so calculate the finish properly'. At that time, she was not that old, wasn't that smart tactically and cool at the same time. But now she has gained experience, and knows how to control situations like that.

“Earlier, she was not like this – though she would hit the ball hard, she did not have control on shots. But now she has gained a lot of control, knows how to read the game and read the bowler well. She used to hit the ball very hard from the word go – she has evolved her batting by herself and I have helped her in this," Paul explains.

Now, after her arrival in Kolkata as a wide-eyed teenager, Richa has fulfilled her destiny; she had already won the U19 T20 World Cup in 2023. Now, she has the senior ODI World Cup too. Now, winning the T20 World Cup in England next year awaits Richa and the Indian team.

When Paul spoke to her after the final, his message was clear. “I said, ‘You have to win it and this is just the beginning. You started with U19 World Cup win. Now you have got senior World Cup. There is still more to win’.”

Paul's daughter and son share a deep friendship with Richa - she calls them on WhatsApp after every game, and now, there's a promise to keep. "When she comes to Kolkata, she said that there will be a party with them. So, just let her come, there will be a party after that," Paul said with joy heavy in his voice.

He further believes the World Cup triumph and Richa being a part of it will have a transformative impact on women's cricket in Bengal. "If I talk about Bengal, earlier it was Jhulan (Goswami) – everyone would come to see her. Now they will come to see Richa. There are already a lot of women's teams in Kolkata. Like the CAB used to do it in the men's league – they are now doing it in clubs system with women's.

"This has already become very big, as 20-25 teams came to CAB. The CAB's intensity is very good – they are setting up a camp in every district. Overall, women's cricket in Bengal has improved a lot in every district. A lot of girls will come to see Richa and they will also come to see Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues and Harmanpreet Kaur."

He further believes the World Cup triumph and Richa being a part of it will have a transformative impact on women's cricket in Bengal. "If I talk about Bengal, earlier it was Jhulan (Goswami) – everyone would come to see her. Now they will come to see Richa. There are already a lot of women's teams in Kolkata. Like the CAB used to do it in the men's league – they are now doing it in clubs system with women's.

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The crowds at women's games have swelled beyond recognition, another aspect which has left Paul glad. "I was a coach for two years in Bengal women's team. I never imagined there would be such a full crowd for a women's game. People would come earlier to watch games for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Now, they will all come to see Richa, Smriti, and Jemi," he concluded.

Article Source: IANS