Deepti Sharma cherishes five-wicket haul in India’s World Cup win over Pakistan

Player of the Match Deepti Sharma said her five-wicket haul against Pakistan was the highlight of India's World Cup opener. The all-rounder credited team positivity, self-belief and improved fielding standards for India's successful start to the tournament.

Hyderabad: India’s off-spinning all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who picked a five-wicket haul against Pakistain the ICC Women’s world cup on Sundaynight, says it’s difficult to pick one moment because everything I was able to do in this game was special, but I’ll go with the five-wicket haul.

“ It’s very rare in an ICC tournament to pick up a fifer and end up winning the game for your team. When the first drinks break happened, the discussion was about stepping up a little because we know the quality of talent and players we have in our side. Even if you go for runs in one over, it doesn’t matter because you’ll get a chance to make a comeback in the next. Everyone stayed positive, and the same message was passed on to every bowler, to stay on their toes, focus on what they could do better in the next over, and forget what happened in the previous one,” Deepti explained on JioStar’s ‘Adidas Match Centre Live’.

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On her message to young spinners like Shreyanka Patil and Shree Charani, Deepti said: “My message to the youngsters, or whenever there are bowling meetings, I tell them to stick to what has been working for them. Read the conditions and, if you feel your best ball or your best plans can bring you success on that wicket, then back them and leave the rest to the Almighty. If you execute your plans with self-belief, success will eventually come.”

Reflecting on the team’s improved fielding, Deepti, who is now the leading wicket-taker in women’s T-20 internationls said: “Before the T20 World Cup, we had a camp at the Centre of Excellence, where we worked extensively on our fielding and fitness with the coaches. We wanted to improve day by day in those areas, and I’m glad all that effort showed today.”

“ They weren’t the easiest catches, whether it was the one Smriti took diving forward or Jemimah’s catch. It’s great to see the team putting in that kind of effort, and I’m feeling very positive about the team going ahead,”the player of the match said.

On delivering under pressure in ICC tournaments, Deepti said: “I enjoy ICC tournaments, and this was our first game, so I wanted to start well. It’s not as though we were playing against Pakistan and came in with a different mindset. I approach every game with the same mindset. When you want to perform in pressure situations and want to do well from the moment you begin your run-up, it toughens you up and helps you deliver, irrespective of the situation or the conditions.”

On India’s next game against the Netherlands at Headingley, Deepti said: “Fortunately, we had a series in England before the World Cup, so we already have some understanding of the conditions. Yes, we haven’t played at Headingley yet, but we’ll get a day or two to acclimatise when we practise there. We’ll take the positives from this game into the next one.”