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Delhi: As Vaishnavi Adkar stepped on to the centre court here at the DLTA Complex here to mark her Billie Jean King Cup debut for India, there was a sense of excitement.

The youngster, though, didn’t get the start she had hoped for as India went down 1-2 in their opening tie against Thailand. The 21-year-old lost 1-6, 3-6 to a lower-ranked Anchisa Chanta.

However, Adkar, ranked world No 383, was quick to make amends in India’s second tie against New Zealand on Wednesday. She beat Aishi Das 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets.

“Being the second player, it’s important that I start well and keep the energy high. It feels amazing that I was able to give the team the lead today. It feels really good,” Vaishnavi told Read after the her win.

“It was my first match (Thailand) playing in the Billie Jean King Cup, so I was definitely very nervous. I did not handle my nerves well, but that was a lesson learned for me.

“Coming to court today, I had to focus on what I do best and just give my best. The most important thing after yesterday’s match was to have belief in myself.

“I know I have the ability, and even my coach and captain said the same. You just need to believe in your abilities. So I just focused on the things in my control and kept working on those,” she added.

A key part of that reset was belief and competing in a team event brought a different kind of motivation.

“We are just going to take it one match at a time. We will do what is in our hands, go on court and give our best till the very last point, keep fighting. We are here playing for the country, not just for ourselves, so the goal is to not give up at any point,” Vaishnavi asserted.

Led by Vaishnavi’s win, India opened up an unassailable 2-0 lead against New Zealand to put their campaign back on track in the Asia/Oceania World Group I Play-offs.