Deepti Sharma’s outstanding all-around performance helped the Indian Women’s cricket team register a historic 347-run victory against England in the one-off Test, marking the largest win in Women’s Test history.
In addition to notching up a half-century with the bat, Deepti also showcased her bowling prowess by taking nine wickets in the match, ultimately finishing with impressive match figures of 9/39. These figures now stand as the second-best in Women’s Test history by an Indian player.
Deepti Sharma’s combined figures of 9/39 in the match now stand as the second-best performance by an Indian in this format. Notably, Jhulan Goswami is the only Indian women’s cricketer to take a 10-wicket match haul. Goswami registered remarkable match-winning figures of 10 for 78 against England in 2006.
Deepti Sharma’s impressive bowling figures of 5/7 in England’s first innings rank as the second-best performance by an Indian bowler in Women’s Tests against England. She follows Neetu David, who secured the top spot with her exceptional figures of 8/53 against England in 1995. Purnima Rau holds the third position with her noteworthy 5/24 in 1999 at Shenley. It’s worth highlighting that Jhulan Goswami, the former pacer, achieved all three of her Test five-wicket hauls against England, adding to the significance of Indian bowlers’ historical performances against the English side.
Deepti Sharma showcased her batting skills with a resilient 67 off 113 balls in the first innings, followed by a valuable contribution of 20 runs from 18 balls in her second appearance. This remarkable performance established her as the second Indian woman to achieve the dual feat of scoring a fifty and taking five wickets in a Women’s Test match. The only other player to accomplish this remarkable feat before her was Shubangi Kulkarni in 1985, who scored 79 and took 6/99 against New Zealand.
England struggled to establish momentum in both innings, and Deepti’s exceptional spin bowling further hindered their progress. In the first innings, she dismissed Danielle Wyatt, Amy Jones, Sophie Ecclestone, Kate Cross, and Lauren Filer, securing a fifer with figures of 5/7. In the final innings, Wyatt, Jones, Cross, and Filer once again succumbed to her off-spin as she claimed an additional 4/32. Deepti’s skillful bowling played a pivotal role in consistently thwarting England’s batting efforts throughout the match.
