India wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, one of the stars in the thrilling second T20I victory decided via Super Oval at the D.Y. Patil Stadium here, is itching to emulate MS Dhoni-like heroics as a crucial third T20I comes up against Australia at Brabourne Stadium on Wednesday evening.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While revealing in the pre-match presser that she idolized Dhoni in her growing-up years and saw him script great finishes for India, Richa also expressed her desire to meet him in the future.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Since childhood, I've followed Dhoni and how he used to finish the game. I haven't had the opportunity to meet him yet. There have been times when he would leave just before we were in for a camp or a match at a venue. Hopefully, I'll meet him someday."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Richa also credited her father for teaching her cricket and backing her dream of playing for India. "The rest I have learned from my dad. My family and father helped me a lot and he would always accompany me to my games. He could not play for long, so he backed me to chase my dreams."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Richa produced some superb late hitting in her 26 not out off 13 balls, including three huge sixes, and even hit a six on the first ball of the Super Over against Heather Graham to set the base for India clinching a thrilling victory over the Alyssa Healy-led Australia in front of 45,238 fans in the stadium to leave the five-match series 1-1.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Richa called her performance in the second T20I her best knock. "Smriti didi (Mandhana) had told me 'Khatam karke aana' (get us over the line), so I just did that. We were just following our plan and I was trying to get as many runs in the middle (overs) so that helped us to achieve the target in the end."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Whenever I bat, I always think about how to help my team win a game. I have always focused on power-hitting. I worked hard on it and also focused on my mental toughness. It all went according to our plan."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Both Richa and opening batter Shafali Verma will join up with India's Under-19 squad later this month ahead of the inaugural U-19 Women's T20 World Cup that will happen in South Africa from January 14-29. It means that the duo could miss the final T20I against Australia, but Richa insisted her focus is on the ongoing series against Australia.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We are only thinking about this series for now. Once we join the Under 19 camp, we will focus on those things. It won't be a problem to get used to that setup because both Shafali and I have known them for a while."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Alyssa had a front-row seat to Richa's magnificent display of power hitting in the second T20I and issued a warning to other teams ahead of the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While Ghosh struggled to make much of an impact during the 2021\/22 WBBL in Australia, scoring only 162 runs in 14 innings at an average of 12.46, Alyssa believes the sky is the limit for the 19-year-old.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Alyssa had a front-row seat to Richa's magnificent display of power hitting in the second T20I and issued a warning to other teams ahead of the Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n