Raipur, October 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
India’s young batter Niki Prasad has described her senior international debut as a dream come true, saying the hard work behind her journey has begun to pay off after an impressive performance against Zimbabwe in the opening T20I.
The 20-year-old remained unbeaten on 39 off 35 balls, helping India recover from an early batting collapse and secure victory in the first match of the three-game series at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.
Speaking to broadcasters ahead of Sunday’s second T20I, Prasad reflected on her progression from captaining India’s Under-19 team to the 2025 T20 World Cup title to earning an opportunity with the senior side.
“Definitely that innings has given me a lot of confidence, and going forward, whatever opportunity I am put under, I think I’m just going to stick to my basics and play to the merit of the ball,” she said.
Prasad admitted that representing India at the senior level had been a long-standing ambition and credited her preparation and hard work for helping her reach the milestone.
“You know, I was just dreaming for this day, and the preparation for this journey was quite hard, and I think that hard work has paid off, and I just want to grow from here,” she said.
The youngster, who has been part of the Delhi Capitals squad for two seasons, also highlighted the role of the Women’s Premier League (WPL) and India A matches in preparing her for challenging situations.
She said the experience of playing franchise cricket and representing India A had helped her become more comfortable under pressure, making the transition to international cricket feel familiar.
With India leading the series 1-0, Prasad said the team’s batting approach for the second match would focus on sticking to its strengths and executing plans more effectively.
India had been reduced to 19/4 while chasing 115 in the opening game before Prasad and Deepti Sharma stitched together an 82-run partnership to guide the hosts to victory.
India were asked to bowl first in Sunday’s second T20I, with both teams retaining their playing XIs. The hosts had an opportunity to seal the series ahead of the third and final match, scheduled for Tuesday.
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