Richa Ghosh was not named in the India squad for the three T20Is and three ODIs to be played in Bangladesh later this month because of a lack of fitness. Richa, the wicketkeeper from Bengal, failed to complete the stipulated number of laps of the ground in the given time, it has been learned.
The fitness concerns over Richa are bad news for India, because she has been tipped to be a player for the future. Among other things, her aggressive batting marked her out. Assam’s Uma Chetry is Richa’s replacement in the squad. The T20Is start on July 9, and the last ODI will be played on July 22. All the matches will take place in Mirpur.
Richa isn’t the first cricketer to be excluded from a squad on fitness grounds in recent times. Dane van Niekerk, who captained South Africa for years, was left out of the T20 World Cup squad on home soil earlier this year after she failed to meet the cut-off time for the 2km run. She subsequently retired from the international game.