Playing only her second ODI series, an 18-year-old Richa Ghosh had scored consecutive half-centuries against a formidable New Zealand team in 2022. That too, on the challenging wicket of Queenstown. A 70-ball 65, followed by a 37-ball blitzkrieg of 52 runs.
Albeit the White Ferns won both of those matches, New Zealand are understandably wary of the ‘destruction’ Richa Ghosh can cause in their upcoming 2025 ICC Women’s World Cup tie against India, which will be played at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, on Thursday, 23 October. In four ODI matches against New Zealand, Ghosh has accumulated 146 runs at an average of 48.66. At the ongoing tournament, she is India’s third-leading run-scorer with 171 runs, which have been scored at a strike rate of 126.66 — second to none.
When The Quint asked Maddy Green about which Indian players her team is most wary of during an exclusive conversation, she was quick to answer:
I think it is Richa Ghosh. She is having an amazing tournament. We need to be really thorough as a bowling unit, especially in our death plans against her. Because we know Richa can be very dangerous.Maddy Green
She also mentioned other threats.
Having mentioned Richa, you also can’t look past Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur. They’re two top-order batters who’ve been scoring a lot of runs for India. I think those are their three key players. As for us, it’ll come down to how well we play the Indian spinners, who have been bowling really nicely throughout the tournament.Maddy Green
Amelia Kerr — New Zealand's Kryptonite For India
Although, New Zealand have their own kryptonite in their 25-year-old star all-rounder — Amelia Kerr.
Among the current squad members, Kerr is New Zealand’s joint-leading wicket-taker for the White Ferns against India in women’s ODI, with 17 scalps. That aside, she has also scored 469 runs in this format against India, at a staggering average of 78.16. In fact, in her last five ODI meetings against India, Kerr has scored four half-centuries and a century.
Green commented about her teammate:
Melie (Amelia Kerr) is a very important player for us against any opposition — with both bat and ball. When it comes to playing against India, she knows a lot of their players quite well, so we will definitely be tapping into her knowledge of them. She’s also a big-game player; we saw that during last year’s T20 World Cup. I’m really looking forward to seeing what she can do out there with both bat and ball.Maddy Green
New Zealand are also relying on Kerr’s inputs to gauge the pitch at the DY Patil Stadium.
I’m certainly no expert, but it seems like a nice batting surface. In fact, we were actually asking Melie about the pitch, because she has played here quite a bit with the Mumbai Indians, and she has been instrumental in their success. She says it has always been a really good batting wicket. From a batting point of view, I’m definitely looking forward to getting out there.Maddy Green
'Cannot Judge India's Pacers Based On The Last Few Games'
Mathematically, only one team has been eliminated, and three have qualified for the semi-finals. But for all practical purposes, there are but only two candidates for the remaining semi-final spot — India and New Zealand. The former are coming into this match on the back of three consecutive defeats, but Green and the New Zealand team are unwilling to look much into it.
They’re a really strong team, and we know what India are capable of. They’ve been on the unfortunate side of a few close matches, but they’ve been playing quite well. We know it’s going to be a huge challenge. India are a very talented side, especially in their own conditions here in Mumbai. It’ll be a big test for us, but we’re really looking forward to it. I’m sure there will be a great crowd as well, so yeah, it is exciting for us.Maddy Green
India’s pacers have been under the scanner, with Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur and Renuka Singh having collectively taken only 10 wickets so far. That said, Green believes the trio have been unlucky to bowl on good batting surfaces.
I still think they are really good bowlers. They have been playing on some pretty good batting wickets, which isn’t always easy from a bowling point of view. That’s just been the nature of the tournament — the pitches have generally been quite good for batting, and it’s been tough for the bowlers. We cannot judge the Indian pacers based on the last few games.Maddy Green
'Organisers Could Have Scheduled Better'
New Zealand have every right to consider themselves unfortunate, for they have had a couple of games abandoned against Sri Lanka and Pakistan — two of the bottom three teams in this competition. The team’s captain, Sophie Devine has previously expressed her ‘extreme frustration’ at games getting abandoned, and had urged the organisers to have contingency plans in place.
Speaking about the same, Green commented:
I think the weather is something we just can’t control. Honestly, it has been really frustrating for us. We would love to play every game, but that is just not how it has gone. Still, I believe our future is in our own hands, so it’s okay. But in hindsight, I’m sure the organisers might look back and feel they could have scheduled things a bit earlier, but that’s just how it is. We can only play the hand we’re dealt. The future is still in our hands; if we go out and win the next two matches, we’ll be in a really good position. We should make the semi-finals if we do that, so that’s all we can control right now, and that’s where our focus is.Maddy Green
New Zealand Want To Replicate 2024 T20 World Cup Glory
In this very month last year, New Zealand won their maiden ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign, albeit they were not initially regarded as among the favourites. Though the road ahead is difficult, with Devine’s team facing a high-flying England in the last match, Green has urged her teammates to replicate the focus and determination from the T20 World Cup campaign.
We won the T20 World Cup last year, and it was an incredible trophy. It was our first-ever ICC trophy as a group (New Zealand have previously won the 50-over World Cup in 2000). Coming off a really tough year, that victory gave our group a huge boost of belief. It showed us that on any day, we can beat any team. And that is our focus here at this 50-over World Cup. We are taking it one game at a time. We know we have to win every match, but we go in with confidence and not much to lose. India are probably the favourites, and that’s fair to say. For us, it’s a great opportunity to trust our abilities, enjoy the occasion, and make it an amazing game.Maddy Green