Deepti Sharma wants to ease the burden of captain Smriti Mandhana in the new role of vice-captain

Deepti Sharma wants to make things easy for Smriti Mandhana as India’s new vice-captain prepares for her first assignment in the role during the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe starting on Friday.

Mandhana was recently appointed captain of the Indian women’s white-ball teams, while Deepti was named as its representative for the ODI series at home. The appointment follows Harmanpreet Kaur’s decision to step down as captain across formats.

Deepti said she was happy to take on the added responsibility and saw it as an opportunity to contribute more to the team, on and off the field.

“When you get a new role, I take it as a challenge. When the news came, I felt good that I can help the other players as much as possible for the team. So, when I got this role, I was very happy,” Deepti said on the eve of the series launch.

“My mindset is to win as many matches as possible for the team, either as a player or as a vice-captain. In that role, I can help Smriti as much as possible,” she added.

INDIA EYE 300-PLUS TOTAL

Expecting a good batting surface for the opening ODI, Deepti said India would like to reach a total of 300 or more if they bat first.

“The pitch is very good. From the practice we’ve had, we know it’s going to be a good batting track. We’ve played so many matches and our team knows very well what the wickets are going to be like and what the conditions are going to be like. So we’re pretty sure what to expect,” she said.

“We will be thinking of scoring more than 300. But it will still depend on what happens after the toss and what wicket we get. That will also be in our minds. But if we bat first, we will score at least 300,” she added.

India are yet to finalize their playing combination for the first match, with Deepti saying the team management would bring the challenge closer to the game.

INDIA WARY VIEW ZIMBABWE

The all-rounder said India would rather stick with what worked for them than make changes for the sake of it. Finding the right balance between the batsmen and bowlers will be key to starting the series.

“The combination will be known just before the match. It will be good for the team if we can settle on a good combination, either as bowlers or batsmen. Whatever combination we choose will be good for the team,” she said.

“Whether it’s T20Is or ODIs, we always try to do well as a team and we’re doing well. There’s no need for unnecessary changes. Whatever we’ve done well, we want to repeat.”

Deepti also warned India not to take Zimbabwe lightly. The two sides are meeting for the first time and she believes Zimbabwe’s recent performances in T20 cricket suggest they have the players capable of impressing.

“We are playing against them for the first time but they look like a different team. They have new players and they have built a new team. But as they played in the T20, they have some very good players,” she said.

“You learn something from them because they are very good hitters.

– The end