New Delhi. In front of the dazzle of batsmen like Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma, all-rounder Deepti Sharma does not get the attention she deserves. Despite this, it is difficult to ignore the performance of 26 year old Deepti. Her performance with bat and ball has played an important role in the recent successes of the Indian women’s cricket team.
Deepti’s performance was excellent in the Indian team’s victory in the Tests against England and Australia at the end of the year 2023. In the test against England, apart from taking 9 wickets for 39 runs, she was also the player of the match by scoring 67 runs with the bat. Similarly, in the test against Australia, this player from Agra had scored 78 runs apart from taking two wickets.
First Indian bowler to take a hat-trick in WPL
Capable of changing the course of any match with ball and bat, Deepti is currently making waves with her performance in the Women’s Premier League. Deepti, playing for UP Warriors, achieved the distinction of becoming the first Indian cricketer to achieve this feat in WPL by taking a hat-trick against Delhi Capitals. After showing brilliance with spin bowling, it was the turn to show threat with the bat. In the match against Gujarat Titans, Deepti played an unbeaten inning of 88 runs in 60 balls with the help of 9 fours and four sixes and came close to single-handedly leading the team to victory. In this match he also took two wickets for 22 runs. However, despite this all-round performance, UP Warriors had to face an 8-run defeat in the match.
This batsman scored maximum 4 centuries in one season of IPL, came close to scoring 1000 runs…
In competition for orange as well as purple cap
Deepti has so far proved to be the ‘Most Valuable Player’ in the 2024 season of WPL. While this left-handed batsman has scored the maximum of 295 runs in eight matches of the tournament at an average of 98.33 and strike rate of 136.57, she has so far taken 10 wickets at an average of 21.7 with her off-spin bowling. Among bowlers, he is jointly at second place with Delhi Capitals’ Jess Jonassen and Radha Yadav (data till March 13). Along with the Orange Cap, he is also considered a strong contender for the Purple Cap.
Reached heights in career with brother’s support
Father encouraged Deepti Sharma to make a career in cricket.
Deepti’s journey from a middle-class family in Agra to achieving great heights in cricket was not easy. In this, apart from his hard work, the support he received from his family, especially his brother, has been important. Deepti from Agra, the city of ‘Taj’, started playing cricket at the age of 9. He got full support from his father Bhagwan Sharma and mother who worked in Railways. Deepti’s brother Sumit has been a fast bowler and has played for UP in Under 19 and Under 23. Sumit had recognized Deepti’s talent at an early age, so he put his career at stake to give a boost to Deepti’s career. With the help and hard work received from her brother, Deepti moved ahead.
Many pairs of brothers have shown their talent in IPL, including twin brothers.
From medium pace bowler to spinner
Sumit was Deepti’s initial coach. Bhai ensured that Deepti continued to get high level practice facilities in Agra. During this time, former Indian team cricketers Hemlata Kala and Rita Dey encouraged Deepti a lot. Once when Sumit was practicing cricket, the ball went to Deepti. When Sumit asked Deepti to throw the ball, she threw from a distance and gave a straight stump hit. It was Hemlata who was watching Deepti’s exact aim and advised Sumit to encourage Deepti to make a career in cricket. Deepti was a medium pace bowler at the beginning of her career but shifting towards off-spin bowling proved to be a turning point for her. At the beginning of her career, she was ignored during the selection in the UP team, but without losing courage, Deepti continued to perform well.
These uncapped players will win hearts in IPL! They create ‘devastation’ with fours and sixes.
I am fond of getting tattoos
Deepti considers her success in cricket as the result of the support she received from her family. She says, ‘You cannot achieve anything without the support of your family. I am lucky that my family never discriminated between boys and girls. Deepti was brought up like a boy. Even outside the cricket field, he is often seen in trackpants/trousers. He is also fond of getting tattoos done. Hanuman devotee Deepti has got Pawanputra tattooed on her hand.
India’s star performer in every format
In November 2014, at the age of 17, Deepti made her international debut by playing ODI against South Africa. She has so far played four Tests, 86 ODIs and 104 T20Is and has proven to be an ‘asset’ for the team in every format. This all-rounder, who has scored 317 runs in Test cricket at an average of 63.40, has also taken 16 wickets at an average of 13.75. In ODI, he has 1982 runs (one century) at an average of 35.39 and 100 wickets at an average of 29.47 and in T20I, he has 1015 runs at an average of 23.60 and 113 wickets at an average of 19.34. Due to her achievements in cricket, Deepti has been awarded the post of DSP in UP Police by Yogi Adityanath government. In the year 2020, she has also been honored with the prestigious Arjuna Award.
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Tags: Cricket, Deepti Sharma, Off The Field, Women’s Premier League
FIRST PUBLISHED: March 14, 2024, 15:03 IST