Why is Richa Ghosh Not Wicketkeeping in ENG-W vs IND-W Lord's Test?

India Women are locking horns with England Women in the historic Women's Test Match at the iconic cricket stadium in the world, Lord's Cricket Ground, London. This is the very first Women's Test match held at Lord's Cricket Ground, marking a great landmark in the history of Women's Cricket. As the match began, England Women won the toss and elected to field first, putting India Women to bat first.

After the end of the 1st innings, India Women managed to score 285 runs and batted almost the whole day, while England Women came to bat for just 11 overs. One thing that was noticed by fans was Yastika Bhatia wicketkeeping and not India Women's main wicketkeeper, Richa Ghosh, during the ENG-W vs IND-W Lord's Test Day 1.

Why is Richa Ghosh Not Wicketkeeping in ENG-W vs IND-W Lord's Test?

During the ENG-W vs IND-W Lord's Test, Richa Ghosh was not wicketkeeping, and the role was taken by another wicketkeeper, Yastika Bhatia. While the reason behind this move is still unknown, it may look like management decided that Yastika would keep the wickets, not Richa Ghosh. On the other hand, Richa Ghosh was seen fielding at short leg, and her wicketkeeping reflexes would have benefited this fielding position.

If we look at the experience of both wicketkeepers in international cricket, Richa Ghosh, one of the best women's wicketkeepers in the world, is a more experienced wicketkeeper for India Women, but both have played an equal number of test matches. The reason behind Richa Ghosh not wicketkeeping in ENG-W vs IND-W Lord's Test might be that she holds more importance at short leg.

Performance of India Women in ENG-W vs IND-W Test Day 1

India Women finished Day 1 of the one-off Test at Lord's in a strong position after scoring 285 runs and reducing England to 21/1 at stumps. India lost early wickets at the start, but Smriti Mandhana played a superb knock of 83 to steady the innings. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur also made an important 58, and the pair added 89 runs together. Later, Deepti Sharma scored a valuable 57 to push India's total higher. However, India lost their last four wickets for just 11 runs. In reply, India's bowlers started well, with Kranti Goud dismissing Tammy Beaumont for just 2. England ended the day still trailing India by 264 runs.