Deepti Sharma Makes History with 150 T20I Wickets in Landmark Victory

Deepti Sharma Achieves Milestone in T20I Cricket

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 26: In a remarkable achievement, star all-rounder Deepti Sharma has become the first Indian cricketer, male or female, to reach 150 wickets in T20 internationals.

Sharma accomplished this feat during the third T20I of the five-match series against Sri Lanka, claiming her milestone wicket by dismissing Kavisha Dilhari.

After Sri Lanka started steadily with 25 runs in the initial four overs, Deepti made her mark in the second over by taking out Chamari Athapaththu for just three runs, marking her 149th T20I wicket. She then secured her 150th wicket on the penultimate delivery of the 14th over, sending Dilhari back to the pavilion while Sri Lanka was at 85/4.

Deepti concluded her spell by taking Malsha Shehani's wicket, bringing her total to 151 T20I wickets, tying her with Australia's Megan Schutt. With two matches remaining in the series, she is on track to become the leading wicket-taker in women's T20I history.

In the match, India Women triumphed over Sri Lanka Women by eight wickets, clinching a 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series. The victory was marked by a dominant bowling display from Renuka Singh Thakur and Deepti, alongside a powerful half-century from Shafali Verma, which made chasing down the 113-run target seem effortless.

Renuka, returning after a significant absence, was exceptional with the new ball, dismantling the Sri Lankan top order and finishing with impressive figures of 4/21. Deepti Sharma also excelled, ending her spell with figures of 3/18.

Sri Lanka struggled to gain momentum after losing early wickets, finding themselves at 32/3 by the six-over mark. Although captain Chamari Athapaththu and Hasini Perera provided some resistance, the middle order faltered, failing to convert starts into a competitive score.

Under constant pressure, the visitors managed to cross the 100-run mark thanks to wicketkeeper-batter Kaushini Nuthyangana's late unbeaten 19. Only Hasini Perera (25 off 18), Imesha Dulani (27 off 32), and Kavisha Dilhari (20 off 13) managed to score over 20 runs, as Sri Lanka finished with 112/7 in their 20 overs.

India's chase was dominated by Shafali Verma's aggressive batting, as she reached her 13th T20I half-century in just 24 balls, ultimately scoring 79 off 42 deliveries. Despite Smriti Mandhana (1) and Jemimah Rodrigues (9) falling cheaply to Dilhari, Captain Harmanpreet Kaur (21*) partnered with Shafali to lead the team to victory with 6.4 overs remaining.