Deepti Sharma Leads India to Historic Women's World Cup Victory

Deepti Sharma's Stellar Performance in the Final

On Sunday, Deepti Sharma delivered an outstanding all-round performance, guiding India to its first Women's World Cup title by defeating South Africa in the final held in Navi Mumbai. Her remarkable contributions included scoring 215 runs and taking 22 wickets throughout the tournament, earning her the Player of the Tournament award. In the final match, Deepti's innings came at a crucial juncture when India needed stability during the middle overs. Her composed knock of 58 runs helped stabilize the innings and set a competitive total, before she turned the tide with the ball, dismantling South Africa's batting lineup by claiming 5 wickets for 39 runs in just 9.3 overs.

Record-Breaking Achievements

With her incredible consistency throughout the tournament, Deepti became the first player in Women's World Cup history to score 215 runs across nine matches and seven innings, averaging 30.71 with a strike rate of 90.71, including three half-centuries, with her highest score being 58. She was equally impressive with the ball, leading the tournament in wickets taken with 22 at an average of 24.11, and her best bowling figures were 5/39. During this tournament, Deepti also broke several records, now holding the record for the most wickets taken by an Indian in a single Women's World Cup, surpassing Shubhangi Kulkarni's 20 wickets from the 1981-82 edition and Neetu David's 20 wickets from the 2005 World Cup. Additionally, she became the first Indian to take five wickets in a Women's World Cup final.

Deepti's Legacy in Women's Cricket

Overall, Deepti's performance has solidified her status as one of India's greatest bowlers in World Cup history. She now ranks as the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Women's World Cup matches, with 36 wickets, trailing only Jhulan Goswami, who has 43 wickets. Diana Edulji follows with 31 wickets, while Neetu David and Poonam Raut each have 30 wickets. In the final, South Africa won the toss and opted to bowl first. A century partnership between Smriti Mandhana (45 runs off 58 balls with eight fours) and Shefali Verma set a solid foundation for India, followed by a 62-run partnership between Shefali (87 runs off 78 balls with seven fours and two sixes) and Jemimah Rodrigues (24 runs off 37 balls with one four). India reached an impressive score of 166/2.