The world of Deepti Sharma

The making of India's all-terrain all-rounder in the eyes of Jhulan Goswami who has seen her from up close.
Deepti Sharma. (File Photo)
Deepti Sharma. (File Photo)

GQEBERHA: Jhulan Goswami vividly remembers the first time she came across Deepti Sharma. It was in 2014 during an inter-state game between Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, the team Deepti played for in the past. “She was a young and athletic teenager. An all-rounder who looked apart from the others she was playing with,” recalls the former Indian captain.

When Goswami captained Deepti in the Challengers during that season, little did she know they were going to share the dressing room for a long time. Quiet, down-to-earth, inquisitive, and respectful are the adjectives that Goswami keeps using to describe the then-teenager.

From thereon, Deepti has gone on to play three T20 World Cups, including the 2023 edition, and was at the centre of two ODI WC heartbreaks. She is among the first names on the roster and is a vital cog of this Indian team. Nine years since she first met Deepti, Goswami feels that the never-say-no attitude Deepti has is one of the key reasons for her growth.

During her time with the Indian team, Deepti has batted in every position from three to nine (1-9 in ODIs). Depending on how the team combination is and who is or isn't in form, Deepti is the one who has been shuffled around. She has obliged every time. The same goes for her bowling as well.

While she has been India’s key wicket-taker for several years now, Deepti, in the last 12 months, has been the go-to player across situations. Open the bowling? Yes. Need someone in death? Yes. Middle-over wickets? Yes.

No other bowler in this team has played more matches than her, and, at some level, it is fair to say that she is the spearhead of the attack. That she selects the new ball when it's their turn to bowl sums it up.

“Whenever different captains, different coaches say something, she respects that and tries to give her best all the time. Whatever ability she has, she has put in her best. And when you consistently deliver, the captain and management start to believe in you. That is the thing, they believe that she can deliver. You cannot do it every day, but they rely on Deepti to change the dimension of the game,” says Goswami, who believes that taking part in the overseas leagues has added to Deepti’s dimension as a cricketer.

“With all the time at The Hundred and the Women’s Big Bash League, she has gathered a lot of input from other people and that changed her growth also. To get out of the comfort zone, to play in those leagues will definitely bring a lot of value to you as a player.”

After the first match against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup, she could be seen discussing with bowling coach Troy Cooley on occasions where she didn’t change her lengths or get the line right and more in the nets. She is someone who always watches her footage after every match. She knows her craft, strengths, and weaknesses, and has impeccable game awareness. But it is not often you get to see her astuteness or the thoughts that go into her bowling in a public forum.

Ask her about her craft or how she prepares to bat or bowl and you will not get much out of her. Very rarely does she reveal her cards. Her answer will often be along the lines that she is happy to do what the team asks of her and is prepared for anything that is needed to do at any certain point. “She is that kind of a player who believes the team has the last word. Whatever the team says, we will follow. That is her commitment, that is why she has come this far. She is playing for Bengal for six seasons now. Whenever she is free, she always comes and plays. Her commitment can never be questioned. She never gives up, never says no,” says Goswami.

Saturday was one of those rare days Deepti could not deliver on the field. She was up against Natalie Sciver-Brunt, who kept her bat in the crease at the non-striker’s end while keeping a close eye on Deepti’s bowling hand and how she released every delivery. The England all-rounder took on the off-spinner as Deepti finished with 1/37.

With India taking on Ireland on Monday and a potential semifinal contest ahead against Australia looming, India will be expecting Deepti to come back stronger and make an impact. And it should not be a surprise if she does because that is what she is known for. Because there's more to Deepti, the cricketer, than what she shows the world.

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The New Indian Express
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