Bengal-born Richa Ghosh became India's Test debutant number 94 on the morning of December 21, 2023, versus Australia at the Wankhede, mere days after the Women in Blue had three new faces - Renuka Thakur, Jeremiah Rodrigues, and Shubha Satheesh - grace the pitch against England. Twenty-year-old Ghosh received her maiden cap through India Women's National Cricket Team vice-captain Smriti Mandhana in front of the team and her parents on the Wankhede pitch. (IND-W vs AUS-W Test Scores | Streaming | Cricket News)
A seasoned cricketer despite her nascent age, Ghosh made the India squad for the first time at the age of 16. She made her T20 Internationals debut against Australia in 2020, a month after her first call-up, and her One Day International debut a year later versus the same opponent. Known for her power-hitting, Ghosh was also among the most popular picks at the inaugural Women's Premier League auction in 2023, where she was selected by Royal Challengers Bangalore for a 1.9 Crore INR-worth contract.
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Ghosh became only the second player from Bengal to debut for the India Women's Test Team in the past 15 years after Deepti Sharma when she took the field for the one-off Test at Wankhede. Twenty-five-year-old Lauren Cheatle, meanwhile, made her Test debut for Australia during the same match.
Head-to-head Record:
In Tests, India Women and Australia Women have faced each other 10 times, with Australia winning four matches, and six ending in a draw. India Women are yet to secure a Test victory against Australia.
Playing XIs:
India XI: Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Yastika Bhatia (wk), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Richa Ghosh (debut), Deepti Sharma, Sneh Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Rajeshari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh
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Australia XI: Beth Mooney, Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Tahlia McGrath, Alyssa Healy (c/wk), Annabel Sutherland, Ashleigh Gardner, Jess Jonassen, Alana King, Kim Garth, Lauren Cheatle (debut)
