'Told myself I need to take the game to the end' - Richa Ghosh explains role at RCB

Royal Challengers Bangalore won their season-opener against UP Warriorz by two runs, in the WPL 2024 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. JioCinema and Sports18 experts Parthiv Patel and Reema Malhotra analysed the key performances on ‘Match Centre Live’, where Richa Ghosh and Ellyse Perry also spoke.

Reema Malhotra on Sobhana Asha's fifer - "It was intelligent bowling... Leg-spinners are match-winners in my opinion and the pace with which Asha was bowling, that's where the game changed. She's a very confident player and has always backed herself. You can see her confidence in her celebrations and attitude. When you have a wicket-taking attitude, you become a match-winner, that's what Asha has done."

Also read: Who is Asha Shobana? Everything you need to know about RCB's five-wicket hero

Parthiv Patel on how Asha turned the game around - "The home crowd hasn't been left disappointed. They were defending a small total and the way the game was going, it looked like UP would easily win this game. The way Sobhana Asha was bowling and the way RCB hung in the game, it is important that even in a game where you are falling behind, you keep the hope that a wicket or two will fall. In this format, you can change a game in an over which we saw happen today. Sobhana Asha took three wickets in one over and the game changed from there. It's not easy to defend a small score, especially in a small ground like this."

Ellyse Perry spoke about the home atmosphere created by RCB fans - "A really special night for the whole team, even just driving to the stadium from our hotel. The streets were packed with fans and they were all waving and yelling at our bus, so that was special, and to come in and experience the atmosphere and the support that we did. When Smriti was doing the toss, she couldn't even hear the questions because people were so excited to have us playing here. Really special night and even better to win a close match."

Also read: Smriti Mandhana overwhelmed by crowd's support at Chinnaswamy

Richa Ghosh spoke on Asha - "We were waiting for a wicket because we knew if it fell, the match would be in our hands again. Asha bowled so well, especially in that last over."

Ghosh also spoke about her shot selection and her role as a finisher – “I worked a lot on it. There have been many times when I got out in haste but this time, I told myself that I need to take the game to the end. My coaches helped me a lot. If wickets fall early, my role is to take the game ahead and finish it.”