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Indian Women's team all-rounder Deepti Sharma's magnificent bowling spell in the second ODI against Australia on Saturday (December 30) has garnered praise from fans. She returned with figures of 5/38 in the first innings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in a must-win game for the hosts.
Earlier, Australia captain Alyssa Healy won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest. Phoebe Litchfield (63) and Ellyse Perry (50) batted well in the top order and hit half-centuries to set a good platform for the visitors.
Deepti Sharma then spun a web around the Australian batting line-up in the middle overs and dented their progress. A couple of batters got starts but could not kick on due to Indian spinners.
Alana King (28*) played a blazing cameo in the end to push Australia to a decent total of 258/8. Sneh Rana, Shreyanka Patil, and Pooja Vastrakar picked up one wicket each and supported Deepti in the bowling department.
Fans took note of the action that unfolded in the first innings and heaped praise on Deepti Sharma for her defining performance.
Here are some of the reactions on X:
I try to back my strength and try to land the ball in the right areas: Deepti Sharma
At the mid-innings break, Deepti Sharma reflected on her spell against Australia in the 2nd ODI and said:
"As I said earlier, whenever I get the opportunity to bowl, I'm ready, I try to back my strength and try to land the ball in the right areas. The wicket was dry at the start, thought it would help the spinners and always tried to bowl full and the wicket was helpful, had to pitch it in the right areas. (About Mooney and McGrath's dismissal) We planned it and bowled according to it, fell right into the trap."
She added:
"It happens, all the days won't be the same and hopefully, we will bounce back with the bat. We should take the game deep, we have a good batting line-up and the partnerships are going to be crucial."
Do you think Australia can defend the total and seal the series tonight? Let us know your views in the comments section.
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