IND W vs ZIM W 1st T20I: Team India's all-rounder Deepti Sharma heaps praise on Niki Prasad

India allrounder Deepti Sharma praised debutant Niki Prasadrsquos composure under pressure saying the youngsterrsquos calm approach during their matchwinning partnership in the opening womenrsquos T20I against Zimbabwe on Friday showed the potential she possessesIndia recovered from 194 to chase down a target of 115 with four wickets and 26 balls to spareDeepti scored 49 while Niki remained unbeaten on 39 as the pair shared an 82run partnership off 63 balls for the fifth wicket to help India take a 10 lead in the threematch seriesSpeaking after the match Deepti said Nikirsquos ability to remain composed in a highpressure situation during her international debut stood out particularly when India had lost four wickets inside the first four oversIndiarsquos Deepti Sharma during her 49 against Zimbabwe in Raipur on FridayldquoThere is one thing about Niki which I said in the interview earlier that she was playing with a free mind It didnrsquot feel like she had come into a pressure situation or that she was playing her first match because I have seen a lot of players who get a little nervous about the first matchrdquo Deepti said in a video released by BCCI on XldquoBecause when I also played I used to get nervous But when I saw Niki I didnrsquot feel like that at all And when we built a partnership she was also telling me that we will just focus on the partnership and we just wanted to finishrdquo she saidDeepti added that such clarity of thought at a young age reflected the batterrsquos maturity and could prove important for her future in Indian cricket ldquoSo as a youngster when that thought comes to mind thatrsquos when you know how far that player will gordquo she saidDeepti said their priority was to build a partnership and keep the required run rate under control ldquoIt was very simple in my mind I just wanted to build a partnership Thatrsquos what we both were thinking inside Because that situation was a little tricky If we could score a few runs every over like 45 from singles then we will reach there So that was the mindset And thatrsquos how we playedrdquo she saidAll about Niki PrasadBengaluruborn Niki Prasad 20 started playing tennisball cricket at the age of six She then joined a cricket academy near her home before switching to an academy 24 kms away for professional training The Karnataka player who missed out on a place in the 2023 U19 Womenrsquos World Cup squad worked hard and not only found a place in the 2025 U19 World Cupwinning squad but also led the way as captain in Malaysia Prasad won the Player of the Match award on her WPL debut for Delhi Capitals against Mumbai Indians in 2025Itrsquos a different pride to score winning runs for India Niki after debut heroicsIndia debutant Niki Prasad said scoring the winning runs in her first international match was a special feeling as she and Deepti Sharma rescued the hosts from a dramatic toporder collapse to secure a fourwicket victory over Zimbabwe in the opening womenrsquos T20IldquoI think itrsquos a very good feeling To go there and play the first match for India Itrsquos a great pride plus itrsquos a different kind of pride to score the winning runrdquo she said in a video released by BCCI on X ldquoI have been in this situation for a long time So I was very calm inside I just wanted to make a partnership with a batter So the runs will be chased easily That was the mindset I hadrdquo Niki said153No of runs scored by Delhi Capitalsrsquos Niki Prasad in 18 WPL matches at a average of 306056No of runs scored by Niki Prasad in three T20s for India lsquoArsquo against Australia lsquoArsquo in September she also claimed two wicketsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever