"Hope our Asian Games gold will inspire youngsters to take up cricket": Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma

Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, said that she hopes that the triumphant debut at the Asian Games inspires young players to take up the sport

Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who was the part of country's Asian Games gold medal-winning team at Hangzhou recently, said that she hopes that the triumphant debut at the continental meet inspires young players to take up the sport. The Indian women’s cricket team secured the Gold Medal at the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Games after a stunning performance against the Sri Lanka Women’s cricket team in the final at the continental mega sporting event.

Four cricketers from the Women's Premier League (WPL) franchise UP Warriorz squad that played in the inaugural season of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) were part of the Indian squad that secured the gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Deepti Sharma, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Devika Vaidya, and Anjali Sharvani were part of the squad, however, Anjali dropped out from the squad for the Asian Games due to a minor injury. The rest above-mentioned players were an integral part of the squad, especially Deepti Sharma and Rajeshwari Gayakwad who were pivotal in India’s run to the final of the Women’s Cricket event at the Hangzhou Asian Games, as per a press release from the UP Warriorz.

After securing the Gold Medal at the event, Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma expressed her delight about the triumphant campaign at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Deepti said, "It feels great, we as a team are really grateful for this. This is our first Gold Medal and we are really enjoying this moment. We want to continue in the same vein and continue winning together as a team. The Asian Games is a very big stepping stone, and we hope this win helps inspire and motivate youngsters to take up cricket." Her India and UP Warriorz teammate Rajeshwari Gayakwad added, "Winning the Gold medal at the Asian Games is a moment that will always be very special to all of us. This is a result of all the hard work and we are sure that the confidence from such a win will show in our performances in the future. And the more we play, whether it be in the WPL with the UP Warriorz or for India, or any other team, the better for us and the sport."

"Heartiest congratulations to the Indian women’s cricket team on winning the Gold medal at the Asian Games. We have some great cricketers in our country, and this is a testament to their talent and hard work. We at UP Warriorz are extremely proud of the team, and wish that this opens the doors for many more wins," said Jinisha Sharma, Team Owner, of UP Warriorz. A stellar spell from Titas Sandhu and magnificent spin bowling from Deepti Sharma and Devika Vaidya helped India defend a fair total of 117 runs to clinch the gold medal in the women’s cricket tournament at the ongoing Asian Games, beating Sri Lanka in the final match by 19 runs on last Monday.

Women in Blue opted to bat first and set a target of 117/7 after Smriti Mandhana played a stunning knock of 46 runs. Meanwhile, Jemimah Rodrigues played a 42-run inning.For Sri Lanka, Udeshika Prabodhani took 2/16, Inoka Ranaweera scalped two wickets for 21 runs while Sugandika Kumari also cleared up two scalps for 30. Chasing a low target, India restricted Sri Lanka to 97/8 to win the first-ever gold.Titas led the bowling lineup and took three wickets for just six runs. Rajeshwari Gayakwad took two wickets while Devika Vaidya picked up one wicket.