'Couldn’t Sleep Well, I Was Visualising What I Should Do': Vaishnavi On Nerves Before Maiden ODI Fifer

New Delhi:  India spinner Vaishnavi Sharma revealed how she overcame pre-match nerves to claim her maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs during the third match against Zimbabwe in Vadodara on Wednesday, helping the hosts secure an eight-wicket victory and complete a 3-0 series sweep.

Speaking in a video shared by the BCCI on Thursday, the left-arm spinner credited her experience with India A, the support of her teammates and a conscious effort to remain calm for the breakthrough performance.

"The feeling of a five-wicket haul is entirely different. When you put in all the hard work and then come here to achieve it with a fifer, it’s really a fabulous feeling to have. The feeling of the comeback was very good. Plus, I was nervous. I was very nervous on the first day of the ODI series. I was sitting outside in the first match. I realised and assesed what should be done.

"What are the batters doing? What can I bring to the field? When I got to play in the second match, I was still very nervous. I couldn’t sleep well in the night. I was thinking a lot. I was visualising what I should do. At the end, I calmed myself down on the ground. I calmed down my nervous system and came back to the ground. I said, okay, let’s enjoy," Vaishnavi said in the video.

The 20-year-old made the most of her opportunity in the series finale, returning figures of 5/39 in 10 overs as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 131. Her performance came after she had been left out of India’s playing XI for the opening ODI, making her eventual impact all the more significant.

Vaishnavi also spoke about the confidence she carried into the series after a productive stint with India A, where her wicket-taking performances helped her prepare for the challenge at the international level.

"I played very well in the Australia A Series. Six wickets haul, then four wickets. And I finished as the highest wicket taker. I got a lot of confidence in that. So, I carried it forward. We had a plan after speaking to the coaches, we just had to execute it. I was about to get my fifth wicket. I said, God, please give me one more wicket. Everyone was more thrilled that I was about the fi-fer. When I took my first wicket in today’s match, everyone said, you got five yesterday, do it again.

“Deepti di, Shafali di, Smriti di, Harman di and Harleen di were encouraging me a lot. Everyone, literally. I enjoyed it. When I was counting, I was looking at everyone. And when I was stuck after the fourth wicket, everyone was laughing after every ball I bowled after that. And, in the last ball, everyone said, now you pray to all the Gods so that you will get a wicket. And it was a miracle wicket. She went for the sweep, missed the pads completely, and the ball crashed straight into the stumps. Thank you, God!!,” she added.

The wait for her fifth dismissal proved to be an emotional test, with the spinner admitting that the prospect of finishing just short of the milestone had begun to weigh on her as the innings approached its conclusion.

“The wait for the fifth wicket made me so tense. ‘Man, when is this wicket going to fall?’ But in the end, when it was the last over, there was only one last over left. There were six balls. I was like ‘if I get the wicket then great, otherwise bowl calmly, finish the spell and wrap it up. At the same time, I couldn’t stop laughing thinking, ‘Wow, the final wicket really happened!’

“Overall, the team performed brilliantly, Pratika di, Shafali di, Smriti di, all batted exceptionally throughout the series. Harman di scored a century, and Deepti di scored a century after nearly nine years. Watching all of that unfold was such a joy and gave me so much confidence. It was our collective performance. Everyone contributed. That’s why we won this series,” Vaishnavi concluded.

“The wait for the fifth wicket made me so tense. ‘Man, when is this wicket going to fall?’ But in the end, when it was the last over, there was only one last over left. There were six balls. I was like ‘if I get the wicket then great, otherwise bowl calmly, finish the spell and wrap it up. At the same time, I couldn’t stop laughing thinking, ‘Wow, the final wicket really happened!’

Also Read: Special Cricket Stories

Article Source: IANS