‘Brilliant to watch’: Smriti Mandhana praises Kanika Ahuja, Richa Ghosh for RCB’s thrilling win

Vadodara (Gujarat) [India] February 15 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) didn't have an ideal start to their campaign, but captain Smriti Mandhana was really happy to secure a victory. The defending champions faced a stiff challenge after conceding the fourth-highest total in Women's Premier League (WPL) history. However, they mounted a remarkable chase, overhauling 202 in style. Key contributions from Richa Ghosh, Kanika Ahuja, and Ellyse Perry proved instrumental in their triumph, and Mandhana lauded her middle order for stepping up after an early collapse.
"It was brilliant to watch," Mandhana said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"They [Ahuja and Ghosh] have been doing that in the nets in the last seven to eight days to all our bowlers. So, really happy that things clicked on. But yeah, I think after the first innings we knew with the dew coming, it was going to be tough to bowl. So we always thought that we were in the game," she added.
"The way Richa batted and Pez [Perry] batted was amazing to watch," she said.
RCB found themselves under pressure early on, courtesy of Ashleigh Gardner's all-round brilliance. Gardner hammered a blistering 79 off 37 deliveries and later dismissed both Mandhana and Danni Wyatt-Hodge in the second over. Despite this setback, Gujarat Giants crumbled in the field, squandering multiple chances through dropped catches, misfields, missed run-outs, overthrows, and wayward full tosses. Perry's steady 57 off 34 laid the foundation, before Ghosh (64* off 27) and Ahuja (30* off 13) took charge, sealing an emphatic win.
Ghosh took time to settle, scoring only 15 off her first 12 balls. She later credited pre-tournament match simulations for helping her handle high-pressure situations effectively.
"The plan was to take some time, and see how the pitch is reacting," Ghosh said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"I wanted to take it deep, and I focused on my game. We [Ahuja and I] thought we could get to the total, and that we would play a positive game," she said.
"The preparation we did with sir [head coach Luke Williams] really helped us. We had a lot of match situation during practice matches. We kept targets that if the situation is so and so then what should we be doing. That helped me a lot," she noted.
"Yes, the boundaries were uneven, but I didn't have that in mind. I knew I could clear [the boundaries] so I was just reacting as the ball came," Ghosh said.
Meanwhile, Ahuja, making a comeback after missing the previous season due to injury, was ecstatic. Apart from her game-changing knock, she also delivered with the ball, finishing with figures of 1 for 19 in three overs of off-spin.
"It feels great. I'm really happy as I'm playing after a year," Ahuja said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"All the visualisations and the rehab that I did seemed to have helped me mentally. I tried to become a better player," she added.
"I thought I'll go for whatever is in my reach. We were looking at a [required] run rate of 10 or 12 runs an over, and that worked out. Thankfully, we won," she said.
RCB entered the season without key players like Sophie Devine (unavailable), Shreyanka Patil, Asha Sobhana, and Sophie Molineux (all injured), forcing them to turn to their bench strength. This resulted in three debutants--Prema Rawat, VJ Joshitha, and Raghvi Bist--taking the field. The inexperience in their bowling attack was evident, and their fielding left much to be desired. Mandhana expressed confidence in her young squad but acknowledged that significant improvements were needed if they hoped to retain their title.
"I think we lost pretty much the top-three wicket-takers of last year," Mandhana said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
"And we had to start, but luckily we had good options. And whoever came in for the injured people, I think they were all brilliant replacements," she added.
"[But] I think definitely a lot of things to work on as a bowling unit and fielding unit. And we have two days off before the next match, so we'll have good discussions around it," she said. (ANI)