Sports News | I Was Thinking About It Day In, Day out During Rehab: Centurion Deol on Maiden Ton
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Soaking in the glory of her match-winning maiden ODI century, India's Harleen Deol on Tuesday said she had dreamt of this moment repeatedly during her recovery period from a knee surgery earlier this year.
Vadodara, Dec 24 (PTI) Soaking in the glory of her match-winning maiden ODI century, India's Harleen Deol on Tuesday said she had dreamt of this moment repeatedly during her recovery period from a knee surgery earlier this year.
Deol's blistering 103-ball 115 laid the foundation for India's commanding 115-run win over the West Indies in the second ODI, securing an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
"It is a very proud moment for me, waiting for it for a long time. Just enjoying it (at the moment)," Deol, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, said during the post-match presentation.
"It means a lot to me (to score a hundred). When I was in rehab, that was what I was thinking about day in, day out, with the ultimate goal being to make my team win. Today was that dream, so I just went with the flow."
Reflecting on her innings, studded with 16 boundaries, Deol said, "When I came into bat, I had that much time (to build my innings). Thought of just playing some cricket and thought that the more I play, the more shots I can play (later).
"When you are batting well, it is always easy, no matter where you are batting. I was thinking about continuing that flow (from the last match)."
It's all God's plan
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Deol said she firmly believes in God's plan and focussed on competing with herself rather than others.
"I feel that the time that God has planned for you, He will give you, no one else will get it or no one else will give it to you. I see things that way. And, obviously, World Cup is around and it's up to you to do well," she said later at the press conference.
"I am someone, I leave everything to God and things just go on...it's just God's plan. You just have to keep believing in it, keep having trust in Him."
Speaking about the competition in the team, Deol said: "I feel like it's a healthy competition. I just see myself as a competitor, because when you come out of an injury or when you are out of cricket for a long time, your mindset completely shifts.
"I see things very differently. I don't see someone as your competitor."
Captain Kaur praises team effort
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India skipper Harmanpreet Kaur lauded her team's comprehensive performance, highlighting contributions from openers, middle-order batters, and bowlers.
"We did what we were expecting. The way our openers gave us the start, after that Harleen's batting and Jemi was also there to support the team. Really happy with the way we batted.
On the pitch conditions, Kaur noted: "Definitely. Even in the second innings, the way Hayley was batting, it indicated this pitch was better for batters.
"We had a decent total on the board and the way our bowlers were bowling, we had that trust on them that they can, at any point, take a wicket and turn the tables.
"Our bowlers are doing well. In between, we leaked a few runs but then Deepti (Sharma) came back, kept the runs down and then Titas (sadhu) came back (and picked up a wicket from the other end)."
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews waged a valiant battle with a 106, but her efforts weren't enough as the visitors were bowled out for 243.
"You never really want to finish an innings chasing 350-plus. Kudos to their batters, they have talented players who have stepped up. We have to restrict them a little more and take some early wickets as well.
"This series is very important for us and we have to look at the fact that one more game is left. Those points could be important for us and could put us in a good position (to qualify for the World Cup).
"Good to contribute to the team. Bittersweet being on the losing end, but good to spend some time in the middle and hopefully I can use that to my advantage (in the next match)," she said.
India's Pratika Rawal also delivered a standout performance, scoring 76 and picking up two wickets.
"The wicket was better, the bounce was good and it was coming nicely onto the bat. I just had this thought in my mind that whenever the ball is in my slot, I will hit it hard.
"He (Amol Muzumdar, head coach) changed something in my grip (during the last training session) and that helped me quite a bit. I was not able to hold my nerves in the previous match. Was more confident today and that was the difference (in playing more on the off side).
"I was told in the practice sessions that I might get bowling, and happy to contribute to the team."
The third and final ODI will be played on Friday. 7/21/2024
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