Deepti Sharma Celebrates Long-Awaited ODI Century in Vadodara

Vadodara, October 26 (Daily Kiran) : Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma expressed her joy after finally scoring her second One Day International (ODI) century, nearly nine years after her first. This milestone was achieved during the second ODI against Zimbabwe, where she remained unbeaten on 106 runs, contributing significantly to India’s commanding 121-run victory.

Playing at the BCA Cricket Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday, Deepti faced 86 balls to reach her century. Her first ODI century came back in May 2017, marking a gap of 3,450 days between the two. Reflecting on her journey, Deepti stated, “I worked hard, but it took a long time to reach this point. However, I always believed in my efforts, knowing that eventually, I would achieve another century.”

In her innings, Deepti hit 15 boundaries and formed a crucial partnership with former captain Harmanpreet Kaur, as the duo added 153 runs for the fifth wicket. While she also took three wickets with her off-spin bowling, Deepti emphasized that her primary focus was on building a solid partnership rather than just scoring a century.

She remarked, “My mindset was on creating a partnership rather than just making over 100 runs. Of course, reaching 100 is special, and it feels great to achieve this after such a long time. I am grateful to have done it at the Vadodara ground.”

Chasing a target, Zimbabwe started strong but faltered in the middle overs, eventually getting all out for 207 runs. Deepti praised the Zimbabwean team’s efforts, acknowledging their talent and performance. “They played well in the first ODI too. They have good batsmen, and we can’t say they are a weak team. They gave us a tough challenge. We knew our bowling unit could dismiss them, and I believe all bowlers performed excellently. The entire team did a great job,” she concluded.