‘She said to me, ‘You have done a great job’ – Vaishnavi Sharma credits skipper Harmanpreet Kaur after impressive debut

Harmanpreet Kaur and Vaishnavi Sharma (Source: BCCI)

Vaishnavi Sharma thanked captain Harmanpreet Kaur for motivating her during her international debut, which came in the first T20I of the five-match series between India and Sri Lanka on December 21. Vaishnavi ended up as India’s most economical bowler, conceding only 16 runs in her four-over quota.

The left-arm spinner mentioned that Harmanpreet encouraged her, reminding her about the good performances she had delivered in the past. She also revealed the key message Harmanpreet  shared in the team huddles.

“She was telling me that I have done a good job in the past. She said to me, ‘You have done a great job. You have given incredible performances.’ She was giving me her blessings. Whenever there is a huddle, she tells us to focus on one thing. She tells us to focus on what we can do well today,” stated Vaishnavi in a post-match press conference, as quoted by India Today.

Vaishnavi did not concede a single boundary in her spell and bowled a total of nine dot balls. The Gwalior-born would have had her maiden international wicket on the final ball of her second over had Shree Charani not dropped a relatively straightforward opportunity at short fine-leg.

Speaking of the match, India restricted the tourists to 121/6 courtesy of a clinical bowling performance at the ACA-VDCA Stadium in Visakhapatnam. Deepti Sharma and Arundhati Reddy were the other bowlers alongside Vaishnavi who conceded runs at less than a run-a-ball. Out of the six Lankan wickets to fall, three were run-outs.

Jemimah Rodrigues (69* off 44) was adjudged as the Player of the Match for her unbeaten knock. Her innings comprised 10 fours. Harmanpreet also ended unbeaten, scoring a patient 16-ball 15 to guide India through by eight wickets and 32 balls to spare.

The second T20I will be played at the same venue on December 23. The third, fourth and fifth matches of the 20-over series are scheduled to be hosted at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.

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