Table of Contents
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s star batter Virat Kohli came out in praise of the Indian Women’s Cricket Team’s young stalwarts Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh.
Verma and Ghosh have both been lauded for their extraordinary ability to hit the ball many times. Despite being just 22 years old, both of them have developed a reputation for being the power-hitters in the Indian Women’s team.
In fact, the pair of them weren’t even legal adults when they made their debuts in international cricket. Verma first played for the Indian team as a 15-year-old in 2019, while Ghosh debuted as a 16-year-old in the next year.
Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh’s international career
Despite having significant experience in senior women’s internationals, both of them played for India in the first-ever Women’s Under-19 World Cup in 2023.
Verma was named India’s captain for the tournament and led them to the title.
Two years later, both of them would be a part of the Indian squad that won the senior Women’s ODI World Cup at home. Richa Ghosh was with the squad from the start, but Verma joined near the business end as an injury replacement.
Richa Ghosh is also a two-time Women’s Premier League Champion with RCB, while Shafali Verma plays for Delhi Capitals – the team that has finished as runners-up in all four seasons of the WPL.
“You watch them strike the ball, and you’re like, Wow” – Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli spoke on the RCB Podcast and spoke about Verma and Ghosh’s talent.
“You look at talent like Shafali [Verma], Richa [Ghosh], you look at them striking the ball, and you’re like ‘Man’. When I saw Shafali play, it was in the T20 World Cup in Australia, wasn’t it, when we [Indian Men’s Cricket Team] were playing as well. Man, she batted in Perth, and I was amazed, because I have also played in that stadium.”
“She was hitting the ball in the stands, and far. I was like, this is unreal, you know, the kind of power and confidence [she has] and Richa as well. Oh my God, it’s like you know, any top-tier finisher or explosive batter in the game across [both genders]. I am not just confining it to women’s cricket, but the ability you can see is shining through,” Kohli said.
“There’s an amazing rise in standard that is happening in Indian cricket, and predominantly, I would say that a large contribution to that is the exposure which WPL has given to the players,” Virat Kohli said.
Virat Kohli, Shafali Verma, and Richa Ghosh on the field next
Both Verma and Ghosh will feature for India in the Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in England next month. Before the marquee event, the team will play a three-match T20I series against England with the same squad selected for the T20 World Cup.
Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has been having a good time with RCB in IPL 2026. With 484 runs in 12 matches, he is third on the Orange Cap list and is RCB’s highest run-scorer in the tournament. He has also made three fifties and a century in the tournament at a strike rate of 165.
Also Read: Virat Kohli reveals frustration with BCCI’s ‘Champak’, says he hates being filmed all the time