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Following her sensational five-wicket haul against Pakistan to start the ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign with a win, Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma spoke on believing in herself when she was not amongst the wickets and how she likes playing in the ICC tournaments.
A sensational half-century from vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, an explosive cameo from Richa Ghosh and a five-wicket haul from Deepti were the highlights as the 50-over champions India started off their ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign with a 64-run win over Pakistan at Birmingham on Sunday. After securing figures of 5/10 in four overs, Deepti said during the post-match presentation, "I am very grateful. I like these kinds of wickets. All credit goes to the team, and I am very grateful. Hanuman Ji is great. I like ICC tournaments. (What was the key to bowling on this surface today?) I think because it was turning, so I varied my pace in every ball and every over. That helped me a lot. I had to bowl a little bit slower in the air, just believe in myself and bowl in the right areas. That is what I was doing." A massive crowd of 18,814 turned up in this high-octane clash, the highest in a women's T20 World Cup group stage game ever. Deepti expressed happiness at the support Team India received from the fans. "That is what we want in every game, that they keep coming and supporting. And especially I wanted to mention Smriti and Harry Di's partnership (of 91 runs for the third wicket). From there, the course of the game changed," she added. Having faced a few wicketless games in the build-up to the tournament, she said, "I was not worried about when I did not get wickets, but I always believe in myself that whenever the right time comes, I will step up for the team, and that is how I play and bowl." Deepti Sharma was also the Player of the Tournament at the ICC Women's ODI World Cup, 2025. Coming to the match, India opted to bat first and sank to 18/2 after Shafali Verma (6) and Jemimah Rodrigues (1) were dismissed early. A partnership for 91 runs between Smriti Mandhana (68 in 44 balls, with nine fours and two sixes) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (36 in 35 balls, with four boundaries) took India past the 100-run mark. A late blitz from Richa Ghosh (34 in 17 balls, with five fours and a six) took India to 170/6 in 20 overs. Sadia Iqbal and Fatima Sana were among the top bowlers for Pakistan with two wickets each. During the chase, Pakistan started off rather decently with a steady 38-run opening stand, but Indian bowlers soon took over, reducing them to 91/7 and then 106/10 in 17 overs. Muneeba Ali (41 in 35 balls, with five fours) was the only player to cross the 20-run mark. Deepti (5/10) and Shree Charani (3/21 in four overs) bamboozled Pakistan with their spin bowling. Shafali also contributed with a wicket. Deepti walked away with the 'Player of the Match' award. (ANI)
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