'Niki's composure showed how far she can go,' says Deepti after match-winning partnership

New Delhi: India all-rounder Deepti Sharma praised debutant Niki Prasad’s composure under pressure, saying the youngster’s calm approach during their match-winning partnership against Zimbabwe showed the potential she possesses.

India recovered from 19/4 to chase down a target of 115 with four wickets and 26 balls to spare in the opening women’s T20I on Friday. Deepti scored 49, while Niki remained unbeaten on 39 as the pair shared an 82-run stand-off 63 balls for the fifth wicket to help India take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Speaking after the match, Deepti said Niki’s ability to remain composed in a high-pressure situation during her international debut stood out, particularly when India had lost four wickets inside the first four overs.

“There is one thing about Nikki, which I said in the interview earlier, that she was playing with a free mind. It didn’t feel like that after coming into the pressure situation; she was playing her first match, because I have seen a lot of players who get a little nervous about the first match,” Deepti said in a video released by BCCI on X.

Recalling her own experience of making an international debut, Deepti said she had felt nervous in similar circumstances but was impressed by how Niki approached the challenge.

“Because when I also played, I used to get nervous. But when I saw Nikki, I didn’t feel like that at all. And when we did the partnership, she was also telling me that we will just focus on the partnership and we want to finish,” she said.

Deepti added that such clarity of thought at a young age reflected the batter’s maturity and could prove important for her future in Indian cricket.

“So as a youngster, when that thought comes to mind, that’s when you know how far that player will go,” she said.

Deepti said their priority was to build a partnership and keep the required run rate under control instead of allowing the mounting pressure to force them into risky shots.

“It was very simple in my mind. I just wanted to build a partnership. That’s what we both were thinking inside. Because that situation was a little tricky. If there were a few runs every over, like 4-5 from singles, then we will reach there. So that was the mindset. And that’s how we played,” she said.

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