‘It didn’t feel like she was making her debut’: Deepti Sharma on Niki Prasad

Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad
Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad (PC: BCCI Women)

India all-rounder Deepti Sharma heaped praise on debutant Niki Prasad after her unbeaten 39 helped India beat Zimbabwe by four wickets in the first WT20I in Raipur on Friday.

After restricting Zimbabwe to 114/5, India slipped to 19/4 before an 82-run fifth-wicket partnership between Deepti and Niki steadied the chase, helping Smriti Mandhana’s side win with 4.2 overs to spare.

Deepti top-scored with 49 off 37 balls and won the Player of the Match award. During the post-match press conference, she praised Niki’s composure and maturity on her international debut.

“Niki played very well. Honestly, it didn’t feel like she was making her debut,” Deepti told reporters. “It felt like she has played many matches in the past for the country. So, the confidence of this youngster is different. When you are playing on the crease, and when the team need that kind of partnership, to take the team out of a tough situation and win the match, that was very good. And I am very sure that she will get a lot of confidence from this match.”

Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma (PC: BCCI Women)

Off-spinner Nyasha Gwanzura had troubled India’s top order during the early collapse. Deepti acknowledged her bowling and admitted that she should have finished the chase after getting close to a half-century.

“Look, the team needed 10-11 runs at that time,” she said. “There, I couldn’t finish. In my mind, I had to build a partnership and take the game close and then finish. So, that was a little mistake from my side. But, I am sure that I am not repeating that thing.”

Addressing the top-order collapse, Deepti said India were committed to playing an aggressive brand of cricket but acknowledged that the approach did not work as planned.

“We have to play an aggressive brand of cricket. Going forward also. So, that was in our mind,” Deepti said. “And one or two matches happen like that. But we always learn from a match. So, I am very sure that what happened today, will not happen in the next match.”

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The post ‘It didn’t feel like she was making her debut’: Deepti Sharma on Niki Prasad appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



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