NEWS
Follow UsRoyal Challengers Bangalore’s Ellyse Perry, in the aftermath of her side’s crushing one-run defeat against Delhi Capitals (DC), was full of praise for young Richa Ghosh, who nearly did the impossible and dragged her team over the line in a nail-biter at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Chasing 182, RCB looked down and out at one point, needing 84 off the last 7 overs having lost two set batters — Perry and Sophie Molineux — in the space of six balls. Not many fancied RCB at this particular point; victory looked like a formality for the Capitals.
However, 20-year-old Richa played one of the best knocks of her career, smashing 51 off 29 balls to take RCB within touching distance of victory. With 2 needed off the final ball, RCB were arguably favorites to get over the line, but a brutal run-out saw the Reds agonizingly fall short by one run to lose the contest.
RCB fell short, but the knock further established Richa as one of the best young players in the world, not just India.
And Perry was full of praise for her young teammate, who she believes will be scary good once she hits her peak.
“She’s come a long way and she’s still very young, so it’s scary to think how good she could be,” Perry said of Richa.
“She’s got a lovely swing of the bat and she’s a great stroke-maker. Knowing Richa now for a little while, having played both with and against her, she’s hugely improved over the last 12 months. Not just her batting, but her keeping as well.
“It’s been phenomenal. She’s been one of the most important players for the Indian team (of late), she had a wonderful series against us and she’s carried that form into the WPL.”
After hitting Jess Jonassen for a six on the penultimate ball, Richa was inches away from forcing a super over, but even a desperate dive couldn’t save her, as she ended up falling centimeters short.
Usually in sport, the closer the defeat, the harder it is to digest. But Perry hoped for young Richa to not beat herself up for being unable to get the team over the line, because she gave her absolute everything in the contest.
“I hope she wakes up tomorrow, the sun comes up and she feels great. She did a tremendous job and almost got us over the line. That’s all you can do,” Perry said.
“No one deserves to win or lose a game of sport, it just pans out the way it does. We’ve got another important match coming up and she’s a very important part of our team. So I’m sure she’ll pick herself up quickly.
“From our perspective, Richa certainly gave it her all and more tonight. She gave it everything she had. Unfortunately, it wasn’t meant to be. All you have to do is pick yourself up and carry on with life because that goes on no matter what.”
Sunday’s defeat was a hard one to take for both RCB and Richa, but Perry believes that games like the one yesterday will ultimately shape the youngster into a better player
“I’m sure Richa will learn from this game and become a better player in the future. There are only upsides to this defeat.”
