Deepti Sharma’s World Cup Love Affair Continues as India’s Silent Match-Winner Delivers Again

Deepti Sharma (Image: BCCI Women)

“We have started this World Cup where we ended the last World Cup back home,” said Deepti Sharma after her match-winning five-for against Pakistan, which also fetched her the Player of the Match award.

For Deepti, things have never come easy. Take the game that transformed women’s cricket in India, and yet one that Deepti tries relentlessly to forget. At the time when Deepti, just 20 then, came out to bat against England in the 2017 World Cup final at Lord’s, India could almost smell the cup and were within touching distance. One good effort from Deepti and history would be made.

Unfortunately for her and the team, pressure got the better of the 20-year-old, and Sharma had to settle for second best. She got another opportunity in 2018 in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean against the very same opponents, and yet again wasn’t able to perform to her potential, getting run out for 7 and picking up a solitary wicket for 24 in her four-over spell.

Since then, Deepti has turned things around – and how. The best player of the World Cup in India’s title-winning campaign in November 2025, last night in Birmingham she could not put a foot wrong. From her very first ball, she judged the pace of the pitch to perfection and almost single-handedly demolished Pakistan, giving India a commanding win.

Although Deepti has always been among the wickets in ICC events, she has never really been the star, with others like Harmanpreet Kaur or Smriti Mandhana taking up the mantle of leadership in the Indian dressing room. And yet she keeps making telling contributions, making her indispensable to the Indian cause.

Deepti, not as flamboyant as Smriti or as visible as Harmanpreet or Shafali Verma, is perhaps the most critical cog in the Indian wheel in what promises to be one of the most important tournaments in the history of the women’s game in India. Not only will Deepti have a major role with the bat, she will surely be Harmanpreet’s go-to bowler in the powerplay. As a batter, it might well be that Sharma is entrusted with the role of finisher, a job she has performed to perfection for India numerous times in the recent past.

Deepti very often goes under the radar and is not spoken about much. And yet she remains India’s go-to crisis manager and is perhaps the most complete all-round cricketer in the team. Maybe that’s why all eyes will be on her when captain Harmanpreet hands her the ball at key moments in the World Cup. However, the bigger aim for Deepti will be to continue her tremendous World Cup run of form and make a major contribution to India’s campaign.

And expect a run-out if an opponent tries to steal a few yards for a run. While she let off the batter in Birmingham with a warning, the next time around she might not be as kind. With the ball in hand, however, there was no such generosity – and Pakistan know it very well.

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The post Deepti Sharma’s World Cup Love Affair Continues as India’s Silent Match-Winner Delivers Again appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.



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