My instinctive batting is paying dividends: Richa

Power-hitting of the young wicketkeeper has stood out despite RCB's poor run in the WPL this season

- Samreen Razzaqui

NEW DELHI: In a cricket culture that rewards technique and orthodoxy, Richa Ghosh stands apart. The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-batter from Bengal epitomises fearlessness in Indian women's cricket — a rare quality that has made her one of the most exciting talents in the game today.

The conventional path for an Indian female batter involves discipline, consistency and playing within established parameters. While India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and opener Shafali Verma have challenged these norms with aggressive batting, few embrace risk-taking like Ghosh.

But being part of a set-up and standing out raises the risk of being in two minds — tell the voice in the head to stay calm and follow the safe method or go with her instincts? Ghosh is very clear.

"I trust my instincts," she told HT. "When I stick to my instincts, go with what I feel I should hit, it helps me a lot. Otherwise, if I also get fixated with staying at the crease, then I become doubtful. A batter is likely to get stuck then. Main toh zaroor phas jaati hoon (I then get stuck). So, I listen to my heart."