The collapse against South Africa at the ACA-VDCA Stadium here on Thursday, while putting more spotlight on the faltering top order, also showed – for the third match in this World Cup – that India’s lower middle order is not to be trifled with

With wickets falling regularly and India staring at a well-below-par total, Richa Ghosh played a measured innings, taking 53 balls to cross the 50-run mark. In the 23 balls after registering her seventh ODI half-century, she hit six boundaries and two maximums, finishing on 94 from 77 balls.

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She later explained that she paced her innings that way to stay till the end and give India a fighting total to defend

“When I went in to bat, a few wickets had fallen, so I had to build a partnership. I was discussing with Amanjot (Kaur) about how we could take the innings deep and build from there. Even with Sneh (Rana), it was the same — how to make a partnership and, if we got the chance, to go for our shots,” she explained.

“Whatever situation I get, I try to adapt and place myself according to that. I just think that no matter how many overs are left, I’ll try to play through and finish the match.”

A defiant Richa also vowed the Women in Blue will regroup and bounce back ahead of the marquee clash with Australia on Sunday.

“We’ll sit down and review. One game won’t change our mindset. We’ll stay positive. Whatever lessons we got from the match, we’ll carry those forward.”

Published on Oct 10, 2025