Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma made history for London Spirit by securing their first-ever title in the fourth edition of The Hundred with a last-ball six at Lord’s on August 18. Following this heroic moment, Deepti shared insights about her mindset and preparations for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Joining the Spirits after the Asia Cup in their third match, Deepti Sharma featured in six batting innings, amassing 212 runs while being dismissed just once against Oval Invincibles. Consistently scoring 30 or more runs, she maintained a strike rate of 132.5. Alongside her batting heroics, Deepti also took 8 wickets in eight innings and was named Player of the Match in the 29th match of the tournament against Northern Superchargers.
In The Hundred (Women’s) final, London Spirits restricted Welsh Fire to 115/8 after 100 balls. Deepti, with an economy rate of 1.15, took one wicket in the first innings. In the second innings, the Spirits lost wickets in regular intervals but remained in control. Deepti came in at 88/4 after 72 balls, holding one end and supporting the set batter, Georgia Redmayne. After Georgia’s dismissal, a miscommunication between Deepti and Abigail Freeborn led to Abigail’s dismissal.
With five balls remaining, Spirits needed six runs to win. Hayley Matthews, bowling, managed to concede just two singles off her first two deliveries. With Deepti on strike, she hammered Matthews for a six over long-on, securing the Spirit’s maiden title. Remarkably, that match-winning six was the only maximum of the final, capping off Deepti’s outstanding tournament performance with the bat.
Reflecting on the moment, Deepti shared that she was determined to end the game immediately rather than prolong it. As the set batter, she felt it was her responsibility to take charge and finish the game on that delivery, showcasing her determination and confidence as a crucial finisher.
Deepti shared her thought process during the crucial moment, stating, “I thought that I must take that responsibility on myself to finish off the game because I was the only set batter at that time and that’s how finishing the game on this very delivery emerged in my mind.”
Deepti joined the Spirits in their third match, scoring an unbeaten 39 off 26 balls with a strike rate of 150, though she didn’t claim any wickets. Despite that match ending in favor of Welsh Fire, Deepti remained consistent with the bat, contributing significantly to the team’s first innings.
In the only match Spirit lost while chasing in this edition, against Trent Rockets, Deepti claimed 2 wickets in the first innings. In the second innings, she came in at the 64th ball, following the dismissal of skipper Heather Knight, and scored an unbeaten 30 runs off 23 balls, though she couldn’t guide her team to victory. Reflecting on her finish in the final, Deepti expressed her satisfaction and relief, recalling previous missed opportunities and her determination not to let that happen again.
Her positive mindset and focus on finishing the match strongly were crucial to her performance, a trait she believes is enhanced by maintaining a positive attitude, which in turn helps the body respond effectively. She said, “I was really positive about finishing off the match and getting the trophy for the team. When you are positive about things, your body automatically reacts to it.”
This version of Deepti finishing games in T20s is something India has longed for, and 2024 has been the year for the all-rounder who has been consistently excellent with the bat in franchise tournaments, where she often bats higher up the order than in India colours. In the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2024, Deepti scored 295 runs across 8 innings, remaining unbeaten in 5 of those and posting the highest batting average of the tournament at 98.33 with a strike rate of 136.6.
This stellar performance has bolstered Deepti’s confidence and influenced her mindset, prompting her to focus on improving her shot-making skills by practicing against various types of deliveries, something India will hope she brings to the Women’s T20 World Cup in the UAE in October.
In the 2024 T20 Internationals, Deepti featured in 16 matches, including the recently concluded Asia Cup, where she only had three innings to bat, scoring a total of 49 runs. In contrast to her usual lower-order position in the Indian lineup, where uncertainty prevails with players like Pooja Vastrakar and Radha Yadav sometimes promoted above her, Deepti batted higher up in The Hundred, a change that boosted her confidence. She remained unbeaten in five innings, consistently scoring 30 or more runs.
In the WPL, she initially batted at the 8th position but was gradually promoted to bat at various positions, 3-6, with her best individual score being an unbeaten 88 off 60 balls against Gujarat Giants where she stepped two down to bat, a match in which she stabilized a collapse.
Deepti further shared that she plans to stick to the strategies that worked for her during the WPL, noting a shift in her mindset to stay positive regardless of the situation and find joy even in pressure-filled moments. Deepti also discussed how she has incorporated new training techniques into her routine, by practicing with different types of balls—light and heavy— refining her skills.
Deepti stated, “The things which I followed during the WPL, I am going to follow that again in the upcoming matches during the World Cup. It’s just that I have changed my mindset a bit, like whatever the situation is, just be positive about it. The biggest thing though is, just enjoy, as in pressure situations, one can’t enjoy. But if you enjoy being in those situations, then all of the phases in that scenario go out smoothly.”
After a setback in the Women’s Asia Cup, where Deepti Sharma didn’t get a chance to bat but excelled with the ball by taking 10 wickets in 5 innings, she had a long-awaited success with the bat in The Hundred. Given her form and India’s challenges at the number three position, Deepti Sharma might emerge as a tempting option in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the UAE. India is drawn into Group A with Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Deepti also reflected on India’s preparations and shared her thoughts after the ICC decided to move the World Cup venue from Bangladesh to the UAE due to political unrest.
Deepti reflected on the change in venue, stating, “It doesn’t matter wherever the World Cup is happening, I just focus on how as an all-rounder I can contribute to the team’s success. I just want to give it my all, and the last 4-5 months have been fruitful for us. Let’s hope we continue the good work and end the trophy wait this time. We have a little idea about how the wickets will play in UAE.”
The change in venue presents several challenges, particularly India’s lack of recent experience playing in the UAE, where they last featured in the Women’s T20 Challenge 2020, with Deepti as the vice-captain of the winning team, Trailblazers. The playing conditions in the UAE, including the dew factor, could pose a disadvantage for teams defending a total in day-night matches. However, Deepti dismissed any concerns regarding the venue change, emphasizing that the Indian team is well-prepared and familiar with the nature of UAE wickets.
As India’s highest-ranked bowler and all-rounder in both ICC ODI and T20I rankings, Deepti’s performance in The Hundred, where she led London Spirit to their maiden title, demonstrates her exceptional form and potential, particularly with the bat. In T20 Internationals, in 2024, she currently stands as India’s leading wicket-taker, with 23 wickets across 16 innings, showcasing her consistency in the format which contrasts with her batting performance as she got only three innings to bat.
The ninth edition of the Women’s T20 World Cup is set to begin from October 3 to October 20 at the newly chosen venue UAE. The ten participating teams are divided into two groups, with Group A featuring defending champions Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, while Group B includes England, South Africa, Bangladesh, Scotland, and the West Indies.
(Quotes sourced from PTI and IANS)