Ghosh’s blazing 94 ignites India’s comeback

Spinners Nonkululeko Mlaba and Chloe Tryon shared five wickets to reduce India to 102-6 before a brilliant 94 from just 77 balls from wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh powered India to a competitive total of 251 all out in their Women’s World Cup match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.

Ghosh was in scintillating form smashing nine fours and four sixes and sharing a remarkable eighth wicket partnership of 88 with offspinner Sneh Rana who contributed a dazzling cameo of 33 (6x4) from only 24 balls.

There was little to suggest the middle order collapse when India reached 55 without loss in the 11th over but Smriti Bandana (23) toe-ended a flighted delivery from Mlaba (2-46) to Sune Luus at long on and Harleen Deol (13) was beaten by a beauty of a delivery which drifted in before spinning past the outside edge to hit middle and off.

Opener and top scorer Pratika Rawal was undone by a remarkable slower ball from seamer Tumi Sekhukhune which looped out of her hand at just 76 kph beffudling the batter into an equally loopy leading edge to Tazmin Brits at midwicket.

Tryon (3-32) claimed the next two wickets with Jemimah Rodrigues missing a sweep at her fourth ball to be trapped lbw and captain Harmanpreet Kaur, frustrated with just nine runs from 24 balls, slapping a drive to Marizanne Kapp at backward point.

When Deepti Sharma (4) was caught down the legside by ‘keeper Sinalo Jafta of the pace of Kapp (2-45) the home side and tournament favourites had slumped to 102-6 and on the verge of an early crisis.

But power-packed Ghosh, more accustomed to a place further up the order, relished her new spot at No 8 and bravely counter-attacked with a brace of slog-swept sixes to push the total above 200 and give the bowlers a defendable total.

Ghosh shared a seventh wicket stand of 51 with Amanjot Kaur who was almost immobile with 13 from 44 balls before Tryon had her caught at mid on for her third wicket. Ghosh had the opportunity to reach a well deserved century in the final but could only pull a full toss from Nadine de Klerk (2-52) to Tryon at deep midwicket.

It is the third match our of seven group games for both teams with South Africa bouncing back strongly from an opening 10-wicket defeat to England with a six-wicket victory against New Zealand while India comfortably swept past Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

SOUTH AFRICA: Laura Wolvaardt (capt), Tazmin Brits, Sune Luus, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Chloe Tryon, Nadine de Klerk, Tumi Sekhukhune, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

INDIA: Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, Kranti Goud, Shree Charani