By Admin 
Showered with love and gifts, wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, a key member of the Indian women’s World Cup winning side, experienced a sudden elevation in her status as a legendary sportsperson at a sparkling function organised on the Eden Gardens turf here on Saturday.
Richa was handed a gold-plated bat and ball and a cheque of ₹34 lakh, representing each run she scored at the World Cup final, by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on behalf of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
On behalf of the West Bengal Government, Mamata gave Richa the prestigious Banga Bhushan award and a gold chain and recruited her as a Deputy Superintendent of Police in the presence of the 22-year-old’s parents.
“I’m happy for the women’s team’s success. Let Richa play the way she wants to,” said Mamata.
Former India skipper and CAB president Sourav Ganguly put Richa’s contribution into perspective and wanted to see her as a future ‘India captain.’
“Richa’s role at No. 6 is difficult. She has to score rapidly in a lesser number of deliveries. Her strike rate is the difference between India scoring 265 and 325,” said Ganguly.
Former India women’s team captain Jhulan Goswami, who spotted Richa and fast-tracked her progress to the elite team, said, “We should capitalise on this moment to produce many more Richas.”
A day after returning home to a hero’s welcome at Siliguri, Richa was thrilled at the reception.
On her big-hitting skills under pressure, Richa said, “When I bat at the nets, I set targets and try to achieve those to handle pressure. I practise how to hit sixes. Choosing the right delivery is important.”
One of the best moments came after the event when about 50 promising female cricketers, wearing Richa’s No. 13 jersey and shouting ‘Richa, Richa,’ surrounded the new icon on the stage and posed for a photograph with her.