Dusk had just started to settle on the greens of the craggy outfield at Baghajatin Athletic Club in Siliguri. It was past five in early November and it tends to darken a bit early in this north Bengal town.

Another session had just passed and Manabendra Ghosh, daughter in tow, made his way through the numerous alleys that make College Para a nondescript locality. A huge bulging bag on his shoulder with the cricket bat jutting out made it known that his barely teenage daughter Richa had just finished her afternoon coaching stint at the club and was headed home.

As he approached Hati More, an unidentified person from a motley gathering passed a rather snide remark at the innocent girl who had been left exhausted by the gruelling practice stint. “A girl and cricket,” the man uttered in a sarcastic tone. “What’s the use of playing a sport where you have no future? Barabarir ekta seema achhe (there’s a limit to everything).”

Manabendrababu, as he’s affectionately called, wasn’t surprised since he had got used to such scornful comments from friends and acquaintances as she took baby steps towards attaining his dream of making Richa a cricketer.

“I never reacted to such remarks, didn’t even bother. You can’t change certain perceptions but I could feel its effects,” said the senior Ghosh. “I needed to stay by her side and provide support. Even in those early days she never lost hope and dreamt of making it big at every step.”

Women’s cricket was still at its nascent stage then. The likes of Jhulan Goswami and Mithali Raj were considered the sole flag bearers of the game. Not only was television viewership extremely gender driven, a huge discrepancy also existed in media coverage and cricketers’ remuneration.

But Manabendrababu didn’t lose hope. The Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) had set up a talent hunt programme in the districts in 2011-12, a project initiated by its former secretary Biswarup Dey, and Richa couldn’t miss that opportunity. She was selected for a coaching camp at the Bengal Cricket Academy, Kalyani, and her journey began.

“She was so small then I had to literally stay with her there and help out in her daily chores,” remembered former international and national selector Mithu Mukherjee, who was in charge of the project. “Like other girls of her age, she was extremely fond of chocolates, cold drinks and chips. We had to make her understand why she should get rid of such junk food. None could miss her talent even then.”

During those early days, she was an all-rounder of sorts — a gifted pace bowler, an opener besides being a handy wicketkeeper. Chaitali Basak, one of the coaches, was so impressed that she wanted her into the state team straightaway. But Mukherjee didn’t want to push her at such a tender age. Richa made her Bengal debut the next season and was chosen for the Bengal under-19 team when she was 12.

A year later, Richa made it to the U-23 and senior teams as well. In 2018, she was named Women’s Cricketer of the Year by the CAB.

“She often used to stay in my apartment in Calcutta during tournaments and camps. There were times they put up at cheap hotels near Sealdah and also the Salt Lake stadium campus. It was tough but she and her father never gave up,” said Mukherjee.

While the technical aspects were taken care of by the likes of Mukherjee and former Bengal cricketers-turned-coaches Shib Shankar Paul and Charanjit Singh at the CAB, Manabendrababu worked on her mental conditioning.

Then the 2017 World Cup happened. India narrowly lost to England in the final at Lord’s and people stood up and took notice. “Everyone got interested and started following women’s cricket on social media, something that didn’t happen before. We were able to create an expectation... We could set an example before the younger generation which mattered a lot,” Jhulan recalled during a chat with The Telegraph a few months back.

It also helped Richa. By now, she was a much mature cricketer and had decided to focus on her batting and wicketkeeping.

“There was no doubt about her talent. But none can claim credit for her journey to the top. Technically she was always very sound and at times better than her contemporaries like Shafali Verma. Her backfoot play can match the best in the business. Playing alongside Jhulan Goswami also helped her,” remarked Mukherjee.

She earned her T20I debut in the tri-series in Australia before the T20 World Cup in Australia in 2020. Richa became the only WorldCup debutant to have five or more dismissals. She also broke the record for the most catches in an ODI innings by an Indian woman wicketkeeper against Pakistan in Mount Maunganui in 2022.

Richa benefited immensely once Paul took over as Bengal coach in 2019. “She yielded enormous power in her strokes. I used to have separate sessions with her and made her practice and play matches with the boys. I felt she would be more successful and switched her to No. 5 in the batting order,” said Paul.

She was always keen to learn and develop her game. “At my academy at Baghajatin TarunSangha, she used to be at the nets practically the whole day. Playing matches with the boys helped her develop skills and induce more power into her strokes... She turned herself into a matchwinner on her own,” remarked Paul.

Her consistency in the ongoing T20 World Cup in South Africa was exemplary. She was brimming with confidence after having tasted success at the under-19 World Cup. ThatRicha can snatch momentum away from the opponent at any stage with her strokeplay was evident during the match against West Indies.

“She is not the traditional Indian batter who likes to play the drives and stuff like that,” captain Harmanpreet Kaur said. “I think they are players who really enjoy the short ball. She’s a superstar for India...”

Can she step into Jhulan’sshoes? “Don’t compare the two,” retorted Mukherjee. “Jhulan was a pacer and Richa a batter. Jhulan is a different class altogether having ruled Indian cricket for more than two decades. But yes, Richa has it in her to make it big.”

Having been picked by RoyalChallengers Bangalore for Rs 1.9 crore for the Women’s Premier League, Richa will be “sound financially” as she will embark on a new journey next month. Her stint with a franchise, Hobart Hurricanes, in the Big Bash in 2021 had to be cut short because of an injury.

Today Richa, 19, is a star andManabendrababu doesn’t have to go through the “back-biting” in his own backyard. Success can help you enjoy “special status”.