Whenever the right time will come, I'll step up for the team – Deepti Sharma
Deepti Sharma delivered a stellar performance in both the teams' ICC T20 World Cup opener against Pakistan as India humbled their opponents in a lopsided encounter. Birmingham witnessed a five-star performance from Sharma who claimed five wickets to earn the Player of the Match award.
Sharma registered the crucial scalps of Gull Feroza, Ayesha Zafar, Aliya Riaz, Nashra Sandhu and Tasmia Rubab in India’s high-octane clash. Sharma also effected the run-out of Muneeba Ali, the best batter for Pakistan on the day. Talking at the post-match presentation, she expressed her gratitude while shedding light on the conditions at play in Birmingham.
Reflecting on her impressive performances in ICC tournaments, Deepti said, “I am very grateful. I like these kind of wickets, all credit goes to the team and I am very grateful, Hanuman Ji is great. I like ICC tournaments I think, from there I started, so I like it.”
Explaining the conditions at play, Deepti added, “I think because it's turning, so I varied my pace in every ball and every over. That helped me a lot. Yeah, because it's turning, so I just have belief that I have to bowl a little bit slower in the air and just believing in myself and bowling in the right areas. That's what I was doing, yeah.”
She also explained how her experience in England helped her, stating, “Yeah, it's amazing crowd here and a lot of people are coming and supporting the Indian team today. And that's what we want in every game, let's keep coming and keep supporting. And especially I wanted to mention about Smriti and Harry Di's partnership. From there, we threw the momentum.”
She concluded by saying, “Actually, I was not worried about when I didn't get wickets, but I always believe in myself that whenever the right time will come, I'll step up for the team and that's how I play and bowl.”
