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Deepti Sharma played a match-winning knock in the first ODI against England Women and later revealed that she draws inspiration from Rishabh Pant for some of her strokes, including the one-handed six she hit during the run chase.“I was waiting for an opportunity like this. I wanted to build a partnership with Jemimah, score 5-6 runs an over consistently,” Deepti said at the post-match presentation. “(On her sweep shots) I have worked a lot on it early days, and it helps on this kind of track. (On the one-handed six) I play these shots in practice, I picked that up from Rishabh Pant. We have played in England before, we enjoy these conditions.”Deepti’s unbeaten 62 guided India Women to a four-wicket win in the opening match of the three-ODI series. Her effort was the highest score by an Indian from No.6 or lower in a successful ODI chase, surpassing Veda Krishnamurthy’s 52* against West Indies in 2016.India were chasing 259 and got key contributions from Smriti Mandhana (28), Pratika Rawal (36), and Jemimah Rodrigues (48), who added 87 with Deepti for the fifth wicket. Amanjot Kaur chipped in with a handy 20* to take the team over the line with 10 balls to spare.
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Another viral moment from the game came in the form of Harleen Deol’s bizarre run out. England’s Davidson Richards fired in a throw from the deep that hit the stumps with unbelievable accuracy. Replays showed Harleen’s bat had clearly crossed the crease—but it was in the air when the ball struck the stumps. Even her foot, which might have saved her, was airborne at that exact moment.With this victory, India now lead the series 1-0. Deepti was named Player of the Match for her crucial knock.
