After handing Mumbai Indians their first loss in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), UP Warriorz all-rounder Deepti Sharma, revealed that did not imagine that she would get an opportunity to bat after restricting Mumbai Indians to 127.
After claiming a couple of wickets, Deepti scored a crucial 13 runs to build an all-important 24-run unbeaten partnership with Sophie Ecclestone to take her side to a 5-wicket win over MI and was adjudged the player of the match.
“Bowling was done, and fielding was also good. Whenever it comes to my batting, I have to make sure that I have to build partnerships and win for the team. Honestly, I was not thinking that my batting will come because, with the scores on the board, I thought our top order batters will finish it off, so I did not think much about my batting,” Deepti said in a post-match press conference.
Speaking about the pitch conditions, the all-rounder said: “My planning was simple to take the game till the end. While batting, we were getting a little more turn compared to the first innings and the ball was also holding a little. As Sophie and Harris were playing, the plan was to go with a margin of 6-7 runs in per over.”
The win over MI placed Warriorz in the third spot on the points table, which keep them in the hunt for a playoff berth.
When asked if the team feels pressurised about the qualification chances, keeping in mind other teams’ performance, Deepti said: “Pressure is not there, we are taking one match at a time and we are focusing more on our team, we are not focusing on whether the other team won or lost the match. We want to carry forward the way we played from the first match.”
“In our team meeting, we discuss the same thing that we have to focus on ourselves and we have to play as a team, back each other,” she added.
Warriorz restricted MI to a modest total of 127 runs in the first innings, with Deepti picking up two wickets and Ecclestone getting three. Defending 127, Mumbai started the second innings well but crucial knocks from Grace Harris (38) and Tahlia Mcgrath (39) got Worriorz back in the game.
“We were very positive that McGrath and Harris were playing and they were set and good partnerships were being built. The atmosphere was good, everyone was telling each other that they may have to go to play at any time to be ready,” Deepti said.
