Navi Mumbai, Jan 10 (IANS) Gujarat Giants top-order batter Anushka Sharma made a memorable debut with a blistering 44 off 30 balls against UP Warriorz in the second match of the ongoing Women’s Premier League 2026 at the DY Patil Stadium, drawing widespread attention with her confident strokeplay

After the impressive innings, the 22-year-old debutant admitted she was a bit nervous at the start but felt at ease once she got off the mark. The Madhya Pradesh Women’s Premier League star also credited her preparation and domestic form for the knock.

“To be honest, I was a little nervous, but as I played two or three balls, it went away. It was a great outing, and I had great company as well. It was crucial to build a partnership at that time. Me and Ash were talking about building a partnership, and that went well for our team,” she said after the first inning.

“It is more about mindset, how you read situations and react according to that. The domestic season obviously helped a lot for me. The preparation was also on point, as we have a great staff with us. They helped me so much with the areas where I can execute my boundaries and sixes. It is a very good total on this wicket, and we have a great bowling side,” she added.

Batting at number three in her first match, Anushka did not let the team’s momentum shift after the two wickets in the powerplay, hammering a boundary towards square leg on her fourth ball. The young batter then struck three more fours and crossed the 30-run mark in just 20 balls. she also rotated the strike consistently with Captain Gardner to keep the scoreboard moving.

Anushka’s innings ended on the first ball of the 16th over when she lofted a pitched-up delivery from Deandra Dottin, but the shot lacked power and went straight into the hands of Harleen Deol at long on. She narrowly missed a well-deserved half-century, scoring 44 runs off 30 balls, which included seven fours.

–IANS

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