Explosive Richa Ghosh finds form, but India lose final T20 World Cup warm-up
Women's T20 World Cup 2026: Richa Ghosh hit 68 off 36, but India lost to England in Cardiff in their final warm-up match. Her counterattack eased concerns before Sunday's World Cup opener, though India's top order still remains under scrutiny.
Richa Ghosh almost pulled off the impossible. Almost. In India's final warm-up match before the Women's T20 World Cup 2026, Richa Ghosh played a blinder, which unfortunately, was not enough against hosts England. | IND vs ENG, T20 World Cup warm-up Scorecard |
Needing 38 off the last two overs against England in Cardiff on Wednesday, India were seven down and the match had effectively been conceded. Richa had other ideas. She smashed three fours and a six off Issy Wong in the penultimate over to bring the equation down to 17 off the last. Off Linsey Smith, she swept for four, then launched a big six over the bowler's head to reduce it to six off three balls. Smith responded by tossing one up outside off stump – Richa came down the track, missed, and Alice Capsey completed the stumping. Renuka Singh holed out off the next ball. India were bowled out for 166, five runs short, with one delivery remaining.
Richa finished with 68 off 36 balls. It was not enough, but it was the kind of innings India needed to see from her heading into the tournament.
"It's about partnerships, and I think we missed that," captain Harmanpreet Kaur said. "Only Richa played a blinder. In T20 cricket you need a few partnerships in the middle, which we missed today - but it's good to see how Richa batted."
The form concerns around her had been genuine. She managed just 18 runs across three innings in last month's T20I series against England, 85 in five innings against South Africa earlier this year, and recorded her lowest WPL tally in three seasons - 189 runs in nine matches. She was out for a duck against West Indies in India's first warm-up on June 8. Wednesday's knock, then, arrives at exactly the right time. India face Pakistan in their World Cup opener on Sunday.
The rest of the batting, though, remains a concern. Smriti Mandhana fell for one – her highest score in seven innings since an 82 against Australia in February has been just 37. Shafali Verma made a brisk 13 off six balls before miscuing Wong. Harmanpreet (17), Yastika Bhatia (15) and Bharti Fulmali (18) all got starts and squandered them. At 132 for 7 in the 18th over, only Richa's counter-attack gave the chase any shape.
England had been set up by a 70-run stand between Amy Jones (64 off 45) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (57 off 45) after Harmanpreet chose to bowl. Shreyanka Patil was India's best bowler, taking 2 for 29 and dismissing both Sciver-Brunt and Charlie Dean in successive deliveries in the penultimate over. But Dani Gibson's unbeaten 30 off 12 balls - including 19 off the final over off Renuka - pushed England to 171 for 6 and ultimately proved the difference. Gibson also removed Bhatia and Fulmali in the middle overs to finish with 2 for 17 and was named player of the match.
India will need more from their top order come Sunday. Richa has done her part.
Richa Ghosh almost pulled off the impossible. Almost. In India's final warm-up match before the Women's T20 World Cup 2026, Richa Ghosh played a blinder, which unfortunately, was not enough against hosts England. | IND vs ENG, T20 World Cup warm-up Scorecard |
Needing 38 off the last two overs against England in Cardiff on Wednesday, India were seven down and the match had effectively been conceded. Richa had other ideas. She smashed three fours and a six off Issy Wong in the penultimate over to bring the equation down to 17 off the last. Off Linsey Smith, she swept for four, then launched a big six over the bowler's head to reduce it to six off three balls. Smith responded by tossing one up outside off stump – Richa came down the track, missed, and Alice Capsey completed the stumping. Renuka Singh holed out off the next ball. India were bowled out for 166, five runs short, with one delivery remaining.
Richa finished with 68 off 36 balls. It was not enough, but it was the kind of innings India needed to see from her heading into the tournament.
"It's about partnerships, and I think we missed that," captain Harmanpreet Kaur said. "Only Richa played a blinder. In T20 cricket you need a few partnerships in the middle, which we missed today - but it's good to see how Richa batted."
The form concerns around her had been genuine. She managed just 18 runs across three innings in last month's T20I series against England, 85 in five innings against South Africa earlier this year, and recorded her lowest WPL tally in three seasons - 189 runs in nine matches. She was out for a duck against West Indies in India's first warm-up on June 8. Wednesday's knock, then, arrives at exactly the right time. India face Pakistan in their World Cup opener on Sunday.
The rest of the batting, though, remains a concern. Smriti Mandhana fell for one – her highest score in seven innings since an 82 against Australia in February has been just 37. Shafali Verma made a brisk 13 off six balls before miscuing Wong. Harmanpreet (17), Yastika Bhatia (15) and Bharti Fulmali (18) all got starts and squandered them. At 132 for 7 in the 18th over, only Richa's counter-attack gave the chase any shape.
England had been set up by a 70-run stand between Amy Jones (64 off 45) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (57 off 45) after Harmanpreet chose to bowl. Shreyanka Patil was India's best bowler, taking 2 for 29 and dismissing both Sciver-Brunt and Charlie Dean in successive deliveries in the penultimate over. But Dani Gibson's unbeaten 30 off 12 balls - including 19 off the final over off Renuka - pushed England to 171 for 6 and ultimately proved the difference. Gibson also removed Bhatia and Fulmali in the middle overs to finish with 2 for 17 and was named player of the match.
India will need more from their top order come Sunday. Richa has done her part.
