During the interaction at his official residence at Lok Kalyan Marg, PM Modi highlighted Richa\u2019s achievements and said, \u201cRicha, you win every game you play, don\u2019t you? Richa gets a chance everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
To this, Richa, with a shy smile, replied, \u201cI don\u2019t know, sir. But yes, when we were under-19s, seniors, and in the WPL, we used to win trophies.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Richa played the semifinal against Australia and the final with a hairline fracture in her left-hand middle finger. She had originally sustained the injury while keeping against New Zealand in the group stage and sat out of the washed-out fixture against Bangladesh.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhen we used to bat, we used to hit sixes. I think Harry Di (Harmanpreet), Smriti (Mandhana), and others trusted us. The whole team trusted us. If there\u2019s a situation where the balls are fewer but you need more runs, they trust us \u2014 that\u2019s why I got the confidence that \u2018you can do it\u2019,\u201d Richa added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Team India had a topsy-turvy campaign, starting with two wins before losing three consecutive matches. But they came back strong, defeating New Zealand and Bangladesh in their final two group games before beating seven-time champions Australia in the semifinal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Speaking about the team bonding during the tense phase of the tournament, spinner Radha Yadav said, \u201cWe lost three games. But the best part was that we were together in defeat. We were backing each other and talking to each other. So it was genuinely pure. That\u2019s why God gave us this trophy.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
To this, PM Modi replied, \u201cNo, no, you\u2019ve earned it with your hard work,\u201d and then asked the team how they had prepared for the mega event.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Radha said, \u201cSir, like you said, we\u2019ve been playing cricket very well for a long time. We were preparing for every situation \u2014 fitness-wise, fielding-wise, and skill-wise. We had been working hard for that for a long time. And like I said, if everyone stays together, it becomes easy. If someone is alone, it\u2019s very difficult for him or her to work.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The PM then asked Radha, \u201cI\u2019ve heard that in the beginning, you spent your prize money to help your father. And your father kept encouraging you?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cYes, all the time. I mean, it was not that easy in our family at that time\u2026\u201d Radha responded.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The PM then asked Radha, \u201cI\u2019ve heard that in the beginning, you spent your prize money to help your father. And your father kept encouraging you?\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cThere are a lot of matches where we can\u2019t do it. But still, we motivate ourselves to do better next time,\u201d she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n