Raipur, Oct 16 (IANS) Player of the Match Deepti Sharma said she was used to batting under pressure and had walked in with the sole aim of finishing the game alongside Niki Prasad after India slipped to 19/4 against Zimbabwe in the first T20I here on Friday.

Deepti struck 49 off 37 balls, laced with eight fours, and added 82 runs for the fifth wicket with Niki, who hit an unbeaten 39 and showed immense composure under pressure as India chased down 115 with four wickets in hand and 26 balls to spare. India lead the three-match series 1-0, with the second T20I to be played here on Sunday.

“I’m really pleased because I am used to these kinds of situations, and I’m glad that I could bat a little early in the powerplay. My mindset was that I had to finish the game, and that’s how me and Niki were playing.

“I had a clear (plan) that I had to play a few shots early when it’s on my radar. So I calculated according to that, and my mindset is pretty simple: I have to play in my areas,” Deepti said after the match ended.

Deepti credited her stints in franchise cricket for helping her read match situations better. “Pretty much helped me. WPL, the Hundred and all that stuff helped me to bat a little early and assess the condition well while chasing. And when you are mentally ready, you can adapt (to) the situations, and that’s how I do it.”

Niki, who struck the winning boundary on her international debut and hit six boundaries in all, said she was clear about her role from the moment she walked in to bat. “I think I was well-prepared. I knew that when I walked in, my job was simply to take the game deep and see it through, and that’s exactly what I focused on out in the middle.”

Recalling her conversations with Deepti during the partnership, Niki said the initial focus was on steadying the innings. “We were just focused on building a partnership. Once we got going and stabilised the innings, we started discussing which bowlers to target and where we could take calculated risks.”

Asked about the secret behind her calmness under pressure, Niki kept it simple. “Nothing special, really, just staying calm and playing each ball on its merit.”

She noted that the dew made batting easier in some respects, though the pitch posed its own challenges. “There was definitely a lot of dew, which made the ball travel much faster off the bat. At the same time, the pitch started slowing down a bit and keeping slightly low, but Deepti and I adapted well to the conditions.”

Niki said seeing the chase through on debut was the most satisfying part of her evening. “I’m really happy that I was able to see the game through and build that crucial partnership with Deepti. This is just the start, and I want to keep playing the same way and contribute more and more to the Indian team going forward.”

–IANS

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