New Delhi: Deepti Sharma commended Niki Prasad for displaying extraordinary poise during her international debut for India against Zimbabwe, noting that the young batter carried herself like a seasoned veteran rather than someone appearing in her first match.
Prasad delivered an impressive, unbeaten knock of 39 runs during the opening T20 encounter in Raipur on Friday, rescuing the team from a precarious score of 19 for four and steering them toward a four-wicket triumph.
The twenty-year-old teamed up with Deepti, who contributed 49 runs, to construct an 82-run partnership for the fifth wicket that successfully pulled India out of trouble. Prasad ultimately hit the winning boundary off Tendai Makusha through the off-side, securing the victory and putting her side ahead 1-0 in the series.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Deepti expressed admiration for her teammate's performance, stating that it never felt like a debut and praising the youngster's ability to forge a crucial partnership and guide the team home from a challenging situation.
Prasad's innings relied on careful patience, clever shot placement, and calculated aggression. Instead of getting flustered by the early wickets, she focused on rotating the strike, finding gaps, and capitalizing on loose balls to keep the chase on track.
Her unbeaten score stands as the third-highest individual total by an Indian woman on her T20I debut, trailing only Rumeli Dhar and Amanjot Kaur. Prasad will aim to maintain her momentum when India returns to the field for the second T20I on Sunday, October 18.