Patience Pays Off: Deepti Sharma Ends Long ODI Century Wait

Vadodara, October 26: Deepti Sharma has spoken about the long road to her second ODI century, saying her faith in her own hard work carried her through nine years of waiting.

The 106 not out she struck against Zimbabwe in the second ODI came off 86 balls. It helped India secure a 121-run victory at the BCA Cricket Stadium in Vadodara on Sunday.

This was Deepti's second one-day hundred. She had first reached three figures in the format in May 2017. Between those two landmarks lay 9 years and 5 months, or 3,450 days.

On Monday, Deepti reflected on the gap and her perseverance. "I tried a lot, but it took a long time to reach this point. However, I had complete trust in my hard work, and I was sure that sooner or later I would get there again."

Her innings was studded with 15 boundaries. Support from former India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was vital, as the two added 153 runs for the fifth wicket. Deepti's off-spin also yielded three wickets in the match.

Deepti made it clear that a century was not her main aim during the innings. Her focus, she said, was on creating a meaningful partnership. "There was a thought of scoring more than 100 runs in my mind. But how do we build a partnership in that situation? That was my thinking. A hundred is obviously a big achievement, and it feels great to reach this stage after such a long time. I am thankful that I could do it at this venue in Vadodara."

Zimbabwe made a bright start in their chase, but the innings lost direction in the middle overs and the team was bowled out for 207.

She also praised the visiting side for their competitive approach. "They played well in the first match and have good batters in their line-up. We cannot call them a weak side or say their style of play is different. They gave us a tough contest. We knew that our bowling unit could get them out, and that was our approach. I think all the bowlers worked well. In fact, the whole team gave an outstanding performance."