Deepti in awe of debutant Niki Prasad after India's win

India were pushed to dig deep for a victory in Raipur by Zimbabwe in the first of three T20Is against Zimbabwe.

The hosts, however, managed to salvage a four-wicket win, thanks to an 82-run stand between Deepti Sharma (49) and Niki Prasad (39*), who was making her India debut.

The partnership came after India were reduced to 19/4 inside 3.1 overs, while chasing 115. It was from here that the duo turned the tide. 

Speaking after the match, Deepti was all praise for the India debutant. "Niki played really well," she said.

"Honestly, it didn't seem at all like she was making her debut. It felt like she had played quite a few matches in the past, for the country.

"This confidence from a youngster is remarkable - you're building a partnership when the team needs it, winning the match from a tough situation. I'm sure she'll take a lot of confidence from this match."

Deepti also conceded that despite the loss of wickets, the Indian batters weren't mounted under pressure during their chase.

"To tell you the truth, the two of us were there; there was Richa (Ghosh) as well, batting behind us. 

"It didn't feel like a situation where anything could happen. We took a bit of a pause at that moment, and thought about what to do next.

"It definitely wasn't a situation for panic, because if there's no pressure, how will you grow strong as a player and as a team? 

"These situations are necessary from time to time, and from there we took the team to a place from where we won the match. As a team, this is what we want."

While India have taken a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series, Deepti is positive that the team will take the learnings from the close contest Zimbabwe gave them in the series opener.

"Of course, we want to play an aggressive brand of cricket, and that was in our mind," Deepti said.

"Occasionally, these things happen in a match. We always learn from our innings and our matches. I'm sure what happened today won't happen in the next match."

India v Zimbabwe series schedule:

First T20I: October 16, Raipur
Second T20I: October 18, Raipur
Third T20I: October 20, Raipur

First ODI: October 23, Vadodara
Second ODI: October 25, Vadodara
Third ODI: October 28, Vadodara