Women’s World Cup 2022: From unheralded superstar in 2017, Deepti Sharma now a vital cog for India

Over the past few years, there have been several precocious Indian youngsters who have taken the women’s cricketing landscape by storm. The likes of Jemimah Rodrigues and Shafali Verma have distinguished themselves at the top of the order, and have blitzed bowling attacks to smithereens across the globe.

Deepti Sharma hasn’t been as flamboyant as the aforementioned pair but has been a pretty consistent performer herself. If anything, she has been the most impressive of India’s new crop of cricketers, considering she can contribute in a variety of ways and in different situations.

Prior to the 2017 Women’s World Cup, not many had heard about Deepti. There were a few who had been told about an exciting youngster who could bowl off-spin and hold more than her own with the willow. Yet, when she scalped 12 wickets across the tournament (the highest for an Indian), it made the rest of the world sit up and take notice.

To her credit, she hasn’t let that initial optimism dwindle so far. Akin to many relative greenhorns, she has felt the double-edged sword of international cricket but has largely maintained her levels of intensity and of course, performance.

In the recently concluded series against New Zealand, she bowled superbly in different phases. On more than one occasion, she was entrusted to bowl towards the end of the innings. Needless to say that she passed that test with flying colours.

In the 3rd ODI, India found themselves in a bit of bother during their batting innings too. Runs were hard to come by and their run-rate had also dipped alarmingly. In Deepti, though, they had someone who could take control of the situation, ensuring that the Women In Blue posted a more than respectable total on the board.

Like many cricketers, Deepti has her fair share of shortcomings too. There is a school of thought that she can’t accelerate immediately and that she is, at times, guilty of arresting the momentum India have generated through the middle overs. With each passing game, however, it feels that she is evolving a mechanism that serves India well, while also ensuring that she doesn’t lose the essence of her risk-free batting style.

Thus, this World Cup, slated to be held in New Zealand – conditions where Deepti has already thrived, might have come at the most opportune moment for the all-rounder. India, as things stand, are longing for someone to shoulder the bowling burden alongside Jhulan Goswami – a box that Deepti can tick.

They are also looking for someone to hold the middle order together, thereby according the likes of Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali and Smriti Mandhana greater freedom to set the game up at the top.

Moreover, this tournament feels the perfect platform for Deepti to leave another mark. Back in 2017, she was the kind of unheralded superstar a World Cup usually throws up. This time round, she is one of India’s leading stars and a cricketer who could genuinely be the difference between a spectacular journey and an indifferent one.

Pressure usually bogs down players, especially when they are only 24 years old like Deepti is. But Deepti isn’t an ordinary cricketer. If anything, she is as special a talent as any to have emerged from Indian shores in the recent past. And, a standout World Cup campaign will only lend further weight to that argument.

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