'I Picked That Up From...': Deepti Sharma Credits India Wicketkeeper-Batter For One-Handed Six
Indian allrounder Deepti Sharma reflected on her stellar performance against England Women in the 1st ODI, where she aimed to build a partnership with Jemimah and had been waiting for such an opportunity to showcase her skills.
A brilliant half-century from Deepti Sharma and an impressive spell from all-rounder Sneh Rana were the highlights as India secured a four-wicket victory over England in the first ODI of the three-match series at Southampton on Thursday.
India Women have now won 11 of their last 12 ODIs, a streak that began with the home series against the West Indies in December.
Deepti Sharma mentioned during the post-match presentation, 'I was waiting for an opportunity like this. I wanted to build a partnership with Jemimah, scoring 5-6 runs an over consistently. (On her sweep shots) I have worked a lot on it from early days, and it helps on this kind of track. (On the one-handed six) I play these shots in practice; I picked that up from Rishabh Pant. We have played in England before; we enjoy these conditions."
Deepti Sharma was the top scorer for India in the match and was named Player of the Match for her outstanding performance. Sharma's 62* is the highest score from No.6 or lower for India Women in an ODI run-chase, surpassing Veda Krishnamurthy's 52* against the West Indies (Vijayawada, 2016).
With this win, Team India leads the series 1-0. England, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first, were quickly reduced to 20/2 by pacer Kranti Goud, who dismissed openers Tammy Beaumont (5) and Amy Jones (1).
A 71-run third-wicket partnership between Emma Lamb (39 off 50 balls, with four boundaries) and captain Nat Sciver Brunt (41 off 52 balls, with five fours) helped England stabilise before spinner Sneh Rana removed both, reducing them to 97/4 in 20.1 overs.
A century stand for the fourth wicket between Sophia Dunkley (83 off 92 balls, with nine fours) and Davidson Richards (53 off 73 balls, with two fours) averted any possible disaster, while Sophie Ecclestone's quick cameo of 23* took England to a solid 258/6 in 50 overs.
Rana (2/31) and Goud (2/55) took two wickets each, while Amanjot Kaur and Shree Charani claimed one apiece.
During India's chase of 259 runs, openers Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana (28 off 24 balls, with five fours) provided a solid start with a 48-run partnership.
Rawal (36 off 51 balls with three fours) had another 46-run stand with Harleen Deol (27 off 44 balls, with four boundaries), but disaster struck India as they lost Rawal, Deol, and skipper Harmanpreet (17) in quick succession, reducing them to 124/4 in 27.1 overs.
Jemimah Rodrigues (48 off 54 balls, with five fours) formed an 87-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Deepti Sharma, taking the team past 200 runs.
Although Richa Ghosh was dismissed early after Jemimah's departure, Deepti (62* off 64 balls, with three fours and a six) and Amanjot Kaur (20* off 14 balls with three fours) stayed on to secure a four-wicket win for India with 10 balls to spare.
Charlie Dean (2/52) was England's top bowler, while Kate Cross, Ecclestone, and Lauren Filer took one wicket each.
With ANI Inputs
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