Deepti Sharma announces herself at the big stage

From a young girl who wanted to ball fast, Deepti has evolved herself as a genuine all-rounder. She has taken to off-spin bowling like a fish to water. Add to that a career batting average of 47.61 after 25 games, where she has generally batted in the top order. Hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Deepti had to be a big fan of Suresh Raina, who also comes from the same state.

India registered their fourth straight win in the Women’s World Cup as they overhauled Sri Lanka by 19 runs. The Mithali Raj-led team is looking a dangerous outfit and is getting better and better after every outing. Deepti Sharma was the star in India’s win today. Scoring a masterful 78, around which the Indian batting revolved around to amass 232 runs on the board. The 19-year old played a crucial part with the ball by bowling economically during the Sri Lanka chase, returning with 1/46. She was adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’ for her fine all-round display.

Initial success

Deepti rose to fame when he assaulted the Ireland side in May this year. She went on to post 188 runs, which is the second highest score by a batter in women’s cricket. Still only in her teens, Deepti is tipped to be one of the all-time greats when she finishes her career.

A child prodigy

Deepti’s brother, Sumit Sharma has played a vital role in her career. It was during one of Sumit’s net session when former India cricketer Hemlata Kala noticed Deepti. As a young child, she used to accompany her brother for his cricket practice. One day, when a ball came towards her, she took aim and hit the stump with a bull’s eye. Hemlata urged Sumit to get her sister into cricket. She spent learning the tricks of the game from her brother during her formative years when she wanted to bowl quick.

According to Rita Dey, who coached her later, “When she first came here, she was a medium pacer. But after seeing her bowl at the nets for a month, we suggested her to bowl off-spin. It was really amazing to see her master bowling the off-spin.

Deepti was naturally a right-handed batter but was keen to bat left-handed. She changed her grip and is comfortable playing that way. This underlines the amount of talent this Saharanpur-born player possesses.