India’s versatile all-rounder, Deepti Sharma, clinched the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s Player of the Month for December 2023, outshining her teammate Jemimah Rodrigues and Zimbabwe’s Precious Marange. Deepti’s pivotal all-round performances across all three formats of the game secured her this accolade.
Deepti Sharma is the second Indian woman to secure a Player of the Month award, with captain Harmanpreet Kaur being the inaugural recipient after her exceptional contributions during a historic tour of England in September 2022.
In December, India hosted England and Australia for a multi-format series. Despite a relatively subdued performance in the 3-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series against England, her impactful 2/4 figures in the 2nd T20I stood out. Transitioning to red-ball cricket, Deepti delivered a stellar performance against England at DY Patil.
Batting at 7, Deepti contributed a mature 113-ball 67, aiding India in reaching a record 400+ 1st innings total. Subsequently, her exceptional spin bowling rattled England, causing a collapse from 108/3 to a dismal 136/10, where she secured remarkable figures of 5/7 (5.3). In the second innings, Deepti added 20 runs and claimed 4/32 (8), accumulating nine wickets in the One-Off red-ball Test.
Deepti Sharma declared winner of the ICC's December Player of the Month 👏
Congratulations @Deepti_Sharma06 🫶#CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/QR33XeMAig
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 16, 2024
Continuing her momentum, against Australia at the Wankhede, Deepti maintained an economy rate of 2.36, taking 2 crucial wickets in the 1st innings. Although wicketless in the 2nd innings, her tight bowling lines, reflected in a 1.59 economy rate, kept the pressure on Australia. Batting at 8, Deepti’s resilient 171-ball 78 ensured India posted successive 400+ 1st innings totals, but importantly swelled India’s lead.
In aggregate, across Test victories against England and Australia, Deepti notched up 165 runs at an average of 55 and picked up 11 wickets at an impressive average of 10.81.
Her impact extended to the 3-match One-Day Internationals, against Australia, where she secured 7 wickets, including a 5-fer in the 2nd ODI, and consistently contributed valuable runs lower down the order (21, 24*, and 25*). In the T20Is, Deepti continued to shine with figures of 2/24, 2/22, and 1/32, maintaining an economy rate of 5.88. Recently she earned a rise in the latest ICC Women’s T20I Rankings as she climbed four spots to 2nd in the bowling rankings