She endured that pain: Indias final hero played with a broken finger during Womens World Cup knockouts
Team India star battled pain as she played the semi-final and final with a fractured finger during the recently concluded Women's ODI World Cup 2025.
Team India wicket-keeper batter Richa Ghosh sustained a fracture on her left finger ahead of the semi-final of the recently concluded Women's ODI World Cup 2025, but played through pain to help India clinch glory. Richa was one of the heroes for India as the Women in Blue defeated South Africa in the final at the DY Patil Stadium last week to clinch their maiden ODI World Cup title.
The 22-year-old wicket-keeper batter was India's x-factor with the bat in the tournament as she turned game around with his power hitting as a finisher. Richa played a valuable cameo of 16-ball 26 to play her part in India's stunning win over Australia in the semi-final after a record run chase of 339 runs.
In the final, she played a game-changing knock of 24-bal 34, taking the Proteas bowlers to the cleaners. Her short but impactful knock was laced with three fours and two sixes and helped India post a strong total of 299 runs, which eventually proved too much for the Proteas as they fell short in the run chase.
Richa's childhood coach Shib Shankar Paul revealed the 22-year-old wicket-keeper batter suffered a hairline fracture to the middle finger in her left hand ahead of the semi-final against Australia. However, the pain didn't deter the youngster, who not only batted in both games but also kept wickets for India.
"The middle finger of her left hand had a hairline fracture ahead of the semi-final, yet she batted through it. She endured that pain, and that tells us about her immense mental strength," Paul said in an interview with Sportstar.
"I had told her, irrespective of where she batted, she needed to trust each shot of hers, and she continued to do that," he added.
Richa was one of the vital cogs in India's batting line-up in the tournament and produced impactful cameos down the order to help her team clinch some thrilling wins. She finished with 235 runs from 8 matches at an average of over 39 and a strike rate of 133.52, the highest among all batters with more than 100 runs in the tournament.
My job was to score runs quickly: Richa
Right through the tournament, Richa had clarity regarding her role in the batting line-up. Head coach Amol Mazumdar and the Indian team management gave her the freedom to play her natural game and score runs quickly, and the 22-year-old thrived in her role as a finisher.
"My main job was to finish innings strongly by scoring quickly in the final overs," the 22-year-old said on Jio Hotstar.
"Whenever I got the chance to bat, my focus was on applying the finishing touches. I aimed to maintain a high strike rate and put pressure on the opposition bowlers.
"Scoring those extra runs reduces the pressure on our team and gives us a better chance to win," she added.
Richa is set to be felicitated by the East Bengal football club for her contributions in India's historic campaign at the Women's ODI World Cup 2025. She is currently with the rest of India's World Cup-winning squad in Delhi, where they will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an event later today.