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India opener Shafali Verma said she was determined to make the most of her opportunity after replacing an injured Pratika, adding that the team's faith in her motivated her to deliver match-winning performances.
The young Indian opener scored 87 runs off 78 balls and scalped two wickets in his spell (2/36 in 7 overs). She was awarded the Player of the Match for this all-round performance. Speaking on her performance in the final, the player said, "I got to play for the team when Pratika had an injury. The team showed a lot of confidence in me, and I just wanted to win matches for the team..." PM Modi hosted the champions of the Women's World Cup at his residence at Lok Kalyan Marg on Wednesday. PM Modi congratulated the team on their victory and praised their remarkable comeback in the tournament, following a string of three defeats and the trolling they had faced on social media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked captain Harmanpreet Kaur about her gesture of keeping the ball in her pocket after taking a catch against South Africa in the finals. On which she replied, "It was in the destiny, who knew that the last catch of the match would come to me. The ball is still in my bag as it is the result of our efforts of so many years..." Deepti Sharma was crowned the 'Player of the Tournament' with 215 runs and 22 wickets to her name, including a fifty and five-wicket haul in the final against South Africa. Further, PM Modi asked Deepti about her 'Hanuman' tattoo on her hand and 'Jai Shree Ram' on her Instagram bio. "I have more faith in Hanuman ji than in me. Whenever I face difficulties, taking his name helps me a lot..." the all-rounder replied. Jemimah Rodrigues, who had a poor start to the tournament with just 65 runs in four innnings, including two ducks and was dropped for the match against England in the league stage, produced an innings for the ages as her 127* in 134 balls (with 14 boundaries) helped India chase down 339 runs, the highest-ever run-chase in women's ODI cricket and in the knockout matches across both men's and women's ODI World Cups to enter the final of the competition. Sharing thoughts on her knock, the right-hand batter said, "We just wanted to match that match. We were always losing close matches against Australia... Although I scored a century, the victory was a collective team effort... Everyone had that belief that this team can do it, and we did it..." While speaking with PM Modi, fast bowler Kranti Gaud opened up about her early journey in the sport, recalling how financial struggles once prevented her brother from pursuing cricket but inspired her to chase the game with determination. "My elder brother liked playing cricket a lot, but he could not join any academy as my father had lost his job at that time. I always wanted to play cricket... In my first leather ball match in my village, I won the Player of the Match..." the player said. Cricketer and member of the Indian women's cricket team, Harleen Kaur Deol, asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his skin care routine. In reply to which, PM Modi said, "I did not pay a lot of attention to this... I've been in government for 25 years now. Receiving so many blessings has a lasting impact..." (ANI)
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