Deepti Sharma’s story of becoming the star all-rounder—From Agra's streets to India's playing XI

It was May 15, the eve of the first qualifier of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017, when the focus of the game, briefly, moved towards the India Women’s cricket team as they faced Ireland in South Africa. A 19-year-old left-handed batter, Deepti Sharma, smashed eight more boundaries than her age to collect 188 runs of 160 runs at a strike rate of 117.50.

It was the second-highest individual score of Women’s ODIs at that point in time. Even after nine years, it has gone down by just two places. Many Indian star players, including Ravichandran Ashwin and Virender Sehwag, congratulated Deepti for the sensational batting.

Deepti Sharma shared a record stand of 320 runs for the opening wicket with Punam Raut, who was retired hurt on 109 runs. None of them were aware of the records they broke during the game until nearly two hours after the clash, when they checked the India women’s team’s WhatsApp group that was flooded with congratulatory messages and links to various news articles about the achievement.

Nine years down the line, Deepti has become India’s star all-rounder across formats. When India finally completed their dream of winning the Women’s ODI World Cup during the 2025 edition at home, by beating South Africa in the final, the 28-year-old was rewarded the ‘Player of the Tournament’ award for her all-round brilliance.

The off-spinner finished the event as the leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps in just nine innings at an average of 20.40 and a fine strike rate of 22.18 with the economy rate of 5.52.

Seven months after winning the trophy, as India started their campaign in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 against arch-rivals, Pakistan, Deepti fast-tracked the same performance with 5/10 in four overs, including a fine run-out to dismiss Muneeba Ali at the crucial stage of the game.

No academy, no shortcuts — How a teenage Deepti Sharma taught herself to bowl in Agra

The youngest of seven siblings, Deepti, like Mithali Raj, the former Indian captain, followed her brother and father into cricket. But while Raj didn’t have much say in being dragged to her brother’s coaching sessions, the nine-year-old Deepti requested her father, Bhagwan Sharma, who is a retired chief booking supervisor with Indian Railways, to make her brother take her to the practice.

See Also: Top 5 highest wicket-takers in Women's T20Is — Can anyone stop Deepti Sharma's world record run?

Her love for the game started to grow as he rummaged through her brother’s kit bag. Sumit, who is the former medium-pacer representing Uttar Pradesh, in the Under-22 CK Nayudu Trophy, would recount every evening upon returning from the training.

Deepti’s father instructed Sumit to take her daughter to one of the net sessions at the Ekalavya Sports Stadium in Agra. As Sumit was busy with training, Deepti used to sit on the stairs near the girls’ playing area. That was when a random came rolling along the ground towards her, and she was asked to return it. Deepti’s casual aim hit the stumps.

Hemlata Kalal, the former Indian batter, who was the chairperson of the BCCI women’s selection panel in 2017, summoned Sumit to enquire about the little boy and whether he played cricket daily. When Sumit informed that the girl with the ‘boy-cut’ was his sister, who had never come to a cricket field, Kala predicted that the kid would represent India in the future.

For the next couple of years, Deepti became a part of UP’s U-19 trials but was considered too young to represent the state. But Kala exposed her to the needful opportunities.

“Hema di would take Deepti to Delhi and Allahabad, where she would send down a few overs, bat in the nets, or watch intra-squad matches at the Railways camps.” Sumit expressed to ESPNcricinfo.

It was on the back of a fine 114-run knock against Vidarbha in Kanpur, which helped her break into the state senior side in 2012. The former co-selector of the UPCA, PN Singh Rana, drafted her into the senior ranks, though Deepti was only 15 by then.  

The Girl who could do everything: How Deepti Sharma became India's most valuable white-ball weapon

An increased familiarity with the match situations gave Deepti the vital confidence. Deepti’s relation with Rita Dey, the former Indian batter and then the BCCI national selector (central) and the UPCA chairperson of the women’s selection committee, got better over the years. Dey’s influence on the teenager, both Deepti and Sumit, was career-defining.

See Also: Watch: Deepti Sharma's pinpoint direct hit runs out Muneeba Ali to seal India's win — Women's T20 WC 2026

Dey felt that Deepti’s medium pace was not adequately complementing her strengths with the bat, after which she switched to off-spin. In 2014, she smashed an unbeaten 53 for India A to earn her maiden call-up for the series decider against the South Africa. 

On debut, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, she was run out for one. But she kept India in the game with a double strike in the 29th over of the chase, breaking through the 109-run stand. India lost the game by four wickets and so the series.

“Ahead of the third game, a few issues with her bowling called for some immediate fine-tuning. Just a day of work with her and Aarti [Nalge], the video analyst, and you could tell the bowler Deepti Sharma, who took all those wickets, was not the same as the one we had to sit with.” Purnima Rau, the former captain and coach of the Indian side, addressed.

In the third ODI against Sri Lanka at home, Deepti became the youngest Indian, male or female, to take a five-wicket haul, which turned out to be her 6/20 in completing the clear sweep over Sri Lanka. She finished the series as the highest wicket-taker, with 12 at an average of 5.25, with two Player-of-the-Match awards in the three-match series.

She shone during her 89-ball 71 in the final of the Women’s World Cup qualifier, setting up their highest successful chase in the 50-over games and their title win. She ended as the leading run-getter with 253 runs in six innings, thanks to three fifties.

“I wanted to make sure I was mentally ready before the interview began, even though it was just a mock thing. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. As for submitting [the questionnaire] last, it's not that I wrote a lot. It's just that I took some time to arrange my thoughts because it was the first such session I had attended.” Deepti said after her team’s training in Mumbai in June, 2017.

The numbers don't lie — Why Deepti Sharma is India Women's most consistent match-winner across all formats

Deepti has overall picked up 22 wickets in nine innings of the Test cricket at an average of 19.50 and a strike rate of 49.20 with one five-wicket haul at the best bowling figures of 5/7. She has also smashed 335 runs in 10 innings with four half-centuries.

Meanwhile, in the ODIs, she has collected 2771 runs at an average of 35.98 and a strike rate of 70.43 with 18 fifties and one century at the best score of 188 runs. With the ball, she has picked 166 wickets in 123 innings at an average of 27.69 and a strike rate of 37.30 and a fine economy rate of 4.45, including three five-wicket hauls.

See Also: 5 best bowlers to watch in Women's T20 World Cup 2026 — Top wicket-takers & players to follow

In the shortest format, Deepti has picked up overall 166 wickets in 142 innings of the T20Is at an average of 19,42 and an economy rate of just over six with two five-wicket hauls.

The Indian spinner, after the T20 World Cup 2026 clash against Pakistan, went past Kathrine Scriver-Brunt with 354 wickets in international cricket to be in second position of the table, which is topped by the former Indian pacer, Jhulan Goswami, who has 355 wickets.

Deepti was also India’s leading wicket-taker during the Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 and was in fifth position overall in the table. She bagged 12 wickets in nine innings at an average of around 31 and a fine strike rate of 39.33 and a decent strike rate of 4.70 with the best figures of 3/47 in an innings.

Deepti was officially appointed as the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the Uttar Pradesh Police onJanuary 29, 2025, through the state's sports quota. The Agra-native realized a long-held childhood dream of becoming the police officer, as she fullfilled the dream after her spectacular performances in international cricket and the Asian Games. 

From knockouts to record books — Deepti Sharma's defining moments in ICC Tournaments

In the history of the Women’s T20Is, Deepti’s 166 wickets sit at the top. With the five wickets she took against Pakistan during India’s inaugural game of the Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 at Edgbaston, she became their second leading wicket-taker with 24 scalps in 20 innings at an average of 21.12 and an economy rate of 6.68.

Deepti is only behind Poonam Yadav’s 28 wickets in 18 innings at an average of 13.82 in the Women’s T20 World Cup, along with an economy rate of 5.60.

See Also: Wisden names Mitchell Starc and Deepti Sharma among Leading Cricketers of the World

In the history of the Women’s ODI World Cup, Deepti is the second-highest wicket-taker with 36 scalps in 23 innings at an average of 27.22 and a fine strike rate of 32.30, along with the economy rate of 5.05, having got the best figures of 5/39 in an innings.

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