INDW vs SAW: From 102/6 to 251; Richa Ghosh’s record-breaking inning takes India to a respectable score

India Women scored 251 against South Africa Women in Visakhapatnam. Richa Ghosh shone with a remarkable 94 off 77 balls, marking a record for the highest score by a No. 8 batter.

Richa Ghosh scored 94 off 77 balls against South Africa Women. Image | BCCI Women on X

India Women posted a competitive total of 251 against South Africa Women in their first innings at Visakhapatnam on Thursday in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. The innings was marked by a strong top-order contribution from Pratika Rawal and a fiery 94 off 77 balls by wicketkeeper-batter Richa Ghosh, setting up an exciting contest in this ICC Women’s World Cup match.

India started well, but lost the momentum

Pratika Rawal was the backbone of the Indian innings, playing a responsible 37 off 56 balls with 5 boundaries. She anchored the innings through a difficult patch after the early loss of Smriti Mandhana, who made 23 runs off 32 balls before being caught by Luus off Mlaba in the 10th over.

Pratika’s steady knock helped India reach 91 for 3 at the 20-over mark.

Other top-order batters struggled for consistency. Harleen Deol scored 13 before falling to Mlaba’s tight bowling, while captain Harmanpreet Kaur managed only 9 runs. Jemimah Rodrigues was dismissed cheaply for a duck, LBW to Tryon. The middle-order folded quickly with Deepti Sharma scoring 4 and Amanjot Kaur contributing a gritty 13, as South African bowlers kept the pressure on with disciplined spells.

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Richa Ghosh plays a record-breaking inning

The real momentum shift came in the death overs, with wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh powering the innings with an unbeaten 94 off 77 balls. Ghosh’s innings included 11 fours and 4 sixes, displaying aggressive stroke-making and accelerating the run rate. She was dismissed in the final over of the inning, as she finished with the highest Women’s World Cup score by a No.8 or below batter.

Alongside her, Sneh Rana played a crucial supporting role, scoring a quickfire 33 in 24 balls with six boundaries, adding vital runs towards the end.

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South African bowlers shared the wickets with impressive control. Chloe Tryon was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets for 32 runs in her full quota of 10 overs, while Marizanne Kapp took 2 wickets, conceding 45. Nadine de Klerk and Nonkululeko Mlaba also chipped in with two and two wickets respectively, maintaining pressure that regularly forced India’s batters into mistakes.

Earlier, South Africa won the toss and elected to bowl first after the match started one hour late due to rain and a wet outfield.

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