West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced that Siliguri will get a cricket stadium named after Richa Ghosh, the cricketer who was part of India’s recent women’s World Cup win. The state government will build the facility and name it Richa Cricket Stadium.Siliguri in north Bengal is Ghosh’s hometown. The 22-year-old wicketkeeper-batter was part of India’s women’s World Cup win.“The ‘Richa Cricket Stadium’ will be built on a 27-acre plot at the Chandmani Tea Estate. This is a way to honour Richa, one of Bengal’s shining sports talents, and also encourage more young cricketers from north Bengal,” Banerjee told reporters in Siliguri.“The project will soon be undertaken by the state government,” she said, as quoted by news agency PTI.On Saturday, Ghosh received the ‘Banga Bhushan’ award, was appointed deputy superintendent of Police (DSP), and received a gold chain from the state government.Earlier, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) felicitated her for her role in India’s first ICC Women’s World Cup title.Banerjee and CAB president Sourav Ganguly attended the event at Eden Gardens. The event also noted that Ghosh tied with Deandra Dottin of West Indies for the most sixes in a single edition of a Women’s World Cup (12 sixes).Ghosh received prize money of Rs 34 lakh and a golden bat from Ganguly. Former India pacer Jhulan Goswami was also present.In the World Cup, Ghosh scored 235 runs in eight innings at an average of 39.16 and a strike rate of more than 133. Her highest score was 94 against South Africa.In the semifinal against Australia, she scored 26 runs off 16 balls with two fours and two sixes, helping India chase 339 — the highest chase in Women’s ODIs and the highest chase in any Cricket World Cup knockout match.In the final, she scored 34 off 24 balls with three fours and two sixes, taking India to 298/7, which turned out to be enough to win.Across 51 ODIs and 49 innings for India, Ghosh has scored 1,145 runs at an average of 29.35 and a strike rate of more than 103. She has seven fifties and a highest score of 96.
