The Royal Challengers Bengaluru star batter Virat Kohli praised the talent of the country in women’s cricket and the explosive power in the female players like Shafali Varma and Richa Ghosh. Virat Kohli claimed that he was in awe watching the female cricketers bat in such fashion and he didn’t limit the praise to just women’s cricket but their overall prowess in the game. He recently made these claims in an interview with Mayanti Langer that was posted on RCB’s youtube channel.
"You look at talent like Shefali, Richa, I mean you look at them strike the ball and man when I saw Shafali play in that T20 World Cup in Australia, when we were playing as well. The way she batted in Perth, she was hitting the ball on the stands and far and I was like this is unreal like you know the power and confidence. Richa, oh my god is like a top tier finisher,” said Virat Kohli on Shafali Varma and her explosive batting approach that impressed the global cricketing icon.
Virat Kohli credits the rise of the WPL and praises India’s women stars for redefining power-hitting
The Indian women’s cricket team caught the headlines with their heroics in the 2023 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup. They won their first world cup ever and Shafali Varma played a huge role in India’s campaign in the knockouts. With the injury concern of Pratika Rawal and her unavailability, it was Shafali Varma who shouldered the responsibility with both bat and ball. However, Virat Kohli seemed to be still in awe of the fireworks from Shafali Varma at Perth in the ICC T20 World Cup a couple of years ago.
“Richa, oh my god is like a top tier finisher or any explosive batter in the game, like I'm not just confining it to women's cricket but the ability you can see is shining through. So there are some amazing rays in standard that is happening in Indian cricket and predominantly I would say that a large contribution to that is exposure with WPL,” added Virat Kohli on India’s wicketkeeper batter Richa Ghosh.
Richa Ghosh has been an instrumental player in India’s Women’s cricket scenario and her contributions in the middle order has been crucial. She has been an explosive finisher for the country and one that probably India has never produced in Women’s cricket. Her explosive knocks at the back end of the innings has set the foundation for India’s victory in many matches. Virat Kohli credited the WPL for giving the female cricketers an exposure in competing with the world’s finest overseas talents and the domestic talents have risen through the ranks as well.
The signs of the growth in Women’s cricket needs no further assurance as one of the world’s greatest cricketers of all time has himself acknowledged the talent and power in the game. Shafali Varma and Richa Ghosh has been India’s finest powerhouses and they will be delighted with the remarks and appreciation of Virat Kohli.
