‘I believed in my hard work’: Deepti Sharma on ending ODI century drought

India all-rounder Deepti Sharma ended her nine-year ODI century drought with an unbeaten 106 against Zimbabwe in Vadodara. Her innings helped India secure a 121-run victory and clinch the series, while her off-spin also produced three wickets

Vadodara: India all-rounder Deepti Sharma said she never stopped believing in her hard work during the nine-year wait for her second ODI hundred, which finally ended when she scored an unbeaten 106 against Zimbabwe in the team’s 121-run win in the second ODI.

At the BCA Stadium on Sunday, Deepti’s unbeaten 86-ball knock helped India reach 328/6 before they secured a series-clinching win with a game to spare. Deepti’s maiden ODI hundred came in May 2017, when she scored an epic 188 off 160 balls against Ireland in South Africa.

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The gap between her two centuries in the format stretched to nine years and five months, or 3,450 days. “I tried a lot, but it took a lot of time to get there. But I believed in my hard work and that I would reach another century sooner or later,” Deepti was quoted as saying by the ICC on Monday.

Deepti, who struck 15 boundaries, found an able partner in former skipper Harmanpreet Kaur as they put on 153 runs together for the fifth wicket. Deepti, who later picked up a three-wicket haul with her off-spin, said building a partnership was uppermost in her mind rather than reaching the three-figure mark.

“I think more than 100, building a partnership in that situation was on my mind. That was the mindset. And obviously, 100 is special. It feels good to reach it after such a long time. And I am grateful that I was able to achieve that on the ground in Baroda.”

Zimbabwe made a spirited effort in the chase before being bowled out for 207, and Deepti praised the visitors.

“They played well in the first ODI as well. They have good batters in their team. We cannot say that they are a weak team or play differently. But they gave us a fight.

“We knew that we could dismiss them given our bowling unit. That was the mindset. And I think all the bowlers did a good job. In fact, the whole team gave a good performance,” she added.

The third and final match of the series will be played in Vadodara on Wednesday.