Deepti Sharma credits Aavishkar Salvi after match-winning 6-for vs West Indies

Deepti Sharma put on a terrific all-round show in the third One-Day International (ODI) against West Indies Women on December 27 (Friday) in Vadodara. She finished with 6/31 that helped India Women bowl their opponents out for just 162. She then delivered with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 39 off 48, guiding her side to a five-wicket victory. With this win, India also completed a 3-0 whitewash.

Speaking after the match, Deepti says that her chat with bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi helped with her bowling. "I have been doing a lot of hard work. My focus is to take as many wickets as possible and make as many runs as possible for the team. That has always backed me," Deepti told the media.

"Yesterday's practice session helped me a lot. I spoke to bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi sir as to how I can improve my bowling. He asked me to focus on getting more turn and how much help we are getting from the wicket. That helped me a lot."

Despite their shattering 0-3 ODI whitewash in Australia, Deepti says that the team's unity has helped them put on an excellent show against the West Indies, against whom they won the T20I and the ODI series.

"The experience of playing overseas definitely matters, but one special aspect of this Indian team is that whether we win or lose, we stay together. We go through those ups and downs as a team and we always back each other," she said.

The 27-year-old also insists that as an all-rounder, she should contribute as much as possible in every game. "As an all-rounder, I always think about how much I can contribute to the team. When you win 3-0, there is always a good feeling," she said. 

"I like challenges. Whenever I face tough situations, I always like to step up for the team. You don't always get into crunch situations as a player but I like to play this role as an all-rounder.

"Today, I backed myself to put on a crucial partnership with Jemi [Jemimah Rodrigues] so that we could get closer to our total," said Deepti, who put on 56 runs for the fifth wicket with Jemimah (29).

India Women will next be in action against Ireland Women in a three-match ODI series, starting January 10 in Rajkot.