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Rishabh Pant impact in India women's team: Deepti Sharma credits star keeper for blistering six
Deepti Sharma hit the only six of the first ODI between England and India, a towering one-handed hit which reminded fans of a different Indian southpaw batter.
Deepti Sharma was adjudged player of the match for her innings of 62*(64) against England in Southampton, which helped India chase down 262 and win by four wickets — their second-highest successful chase in WODI history, enough to take a 1-0 lead in the series and build on their triumph in the T20I series.
Deepit’s innings included just a single six, a one-handed swipe against Lauren Bell that was perfectly timed and flew many a mile over midwicket. Reflecting on the incredible shot, which cleared the Rose Bowl boundary by a significant distance, the Indian all-rounder paid homage to another great left-handed Indian batter of the modern day, and one who has become synonymous with similar one-handed big shots.
“I play these shots in practice, I got that shot from Rishabh Pant. I like that shot,” said Sharma in her post-match press conference, referencing how Pant has throughout his career used single-handed sixes to gain leverage and better extension to his swing.
Deepti guides India home with flawless innings
What makes the shot even more remarkable is that it was the only maximum of the innings from batters on either team, given the nature of the pitch and the dimensions of the boundaries. It was a memorable shot given the situation, with Deepti largely playing a contained and patient innings that included only 18 runs off boundaries.
She had walked in with the score at 124/4, India still needing 135 runs with not much batting to follow. In a 90-run partnership with Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti steadied the boat, before taking charge and seeing through the chase with the powerful batting of Amanjot Kaur. Kaur’s 20*(14) ensured that India got over the line with 11 balls to spare in an exciting and tightly-contested ODI opener.
Earlier in the match, England’s innings was given backbone by a fine innings of 83 by Sophia Dunkley, who was given able assistance by Alice Davidson-Richards (53) and Nat Sciver-Brunt (41) to present a challenging total. England looked in control as they didn’t allow any of India’s batters to convert their starts, but as the balls started softening up, Sharma and Rodrigues were able to manipulate the field and eat away at the target using their running between the wickets.
India and England’s teams will now travel to Lord’s, which will host the second of this three-match ODI series on Saturday, 19 July.
