Seasoned all-rounder Deepti Sharma has expressed her fondness for pressure conditions and ICC tournaments after delivering a match-winning performance in India's opening Women's T20 World Cup game against arch-rivals Pakistan. Deepti ended her lean patch in style with career-best figures of 5/10, propelling India to a commanding 64-run victory at Edgbaston on Sunday.
Her spell was the best by an Indian bowler in Women's T20 World Cup history and the third-best overall in the tournament. This performance came less than a year after her five-wicket haul in the ODI World Cup final, which helped India clinch their maiden 50-over World Cup title.
Thriving Under Pressure
Deepti stated, "I like the pressure conditions and ICC tournaments; I feel I have started again from where I had finished, so it feels good. I'm focusing on my process... the same things I do in practice I am applying in matches." She emphasized the importance of continuous improvement, saying, "These things help me and the only thing is that I have to keep moving forward, and not stop and day by day have to keep improving."
Reflecting on Her Journey
The 28-year-old, who was part of the Indian team that reached the ODI World Cup final in 2017, reflected on her growth. "When you look at young Deepti and now senior Deepti it feels very good. Looking back at the earlier matches and the 2017 World Cup, I learned a lot from that World Cup and I learn from every match where the errors are happening and where I can be better." She added that she regularly consults with her coach Avishkar Sir and watches her videos to identify areas for improvement.
Match-Winning Performance
Against Pakistan, Deepti dismissed opener Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Aliya Riaz, Nashra Sandhu, and Tasmia Rubab, while scoring an unbeaten 12 off nine balls. She explained her strategy: "I kept my plans very simple and just had self-belief that whenever such situations arise, I'll have to step up. And since the wicket was slightly turning I was hitting my good balls and landing them well and it was just about bowling back-to-back in the good areas." She noted that varying speed was crucial on the pitch.
Support from Batswomen
Deepti praised Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur for their 91-run partnership after India were reduced to 2/18. "I think unbelievable batting by Smriti and special mention about that partnership... From there we got the momentum because initially we lost early wickets, but we always thought that we have a good batting line-up so we contribute and how they batted is commendable."
Looking Ahead
India will next face debutants Netherlands. Deepti said, "I think they played today and it's a good team and first time they've qualified for the World Cup and we are not taking that game lightly, but it's a few days until that game and now we are looking good, we are doing good and we are just focusing that each and every match is important for us and we will play our positive cricket."
