Boria Majumdar
It was the 2017 World Cup final at Lord’s and India were in control. At the time Deepti came out to bat against England, India could almost smell the cup and were in touching distance. A good effort from Deepti, and history would be made. Unfortunately for her and for the team, pressure got the better of the 20 year old and Deepti had to end up second-best. She got one more opportunity in 2018, in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean against the very same opponents. Yet again, she wasn’t able to perform to potential, getting run out for 7 and picking up a solitary wicket for 24 in her four-over spell.
This time, Deepti turned things around. A five-for in the final to go with the run-a-ball 58 she scored ensured that she was the Player of the Tournament. Sport, as always, offered a second chance and Deepti made the most of it.
Deepti, not as flamboyant as Smriti Mandhana or as visible as Harmanpreet Kaur or Shafali Verma, was perhaps the most critical cog in the wheel for what was the most important tournament in the history of the women’s game in India. As a batter, she was entrusted with the task of finisher, a job she performed to perfection in the final. While we celebrated Shafali and the others, it was Deepti’s fighting 50 that made sure India were still in the game at the halfway stage by scoring close to 300. Not only did she finish well, she was able to give the bowlers a total to defend before herself bowling a superb spell.
Deepti, as is often the case, passes under the radar and is not much spoken about. And yet, she was India’s go-to woman in the World Cup, making it a redemption song for her. In 2017, the big stage was alien to her and it meant she wasn’t able to deal with the situation mentally. A full house at Lord’s was daunting, and it was only natural that a 20 year old would feel the pressure. In 2018, things weren’t okay in the dressing room, and against England in the semi-final, the fragility of the top order cost India the game.
This time round, things were different. What was also important was that in the match against South Africa, India managed to hold their nerve when put under pressure. Beating a quality team in a close contest in the semi-final would have helped, and India knew that in case of a weather interruption, which was a possibility, they needed to stay in the contest and absorb the pressure.
Deepti, however, would not have been thinking about any of this. All she would have had in her mind is the opportunity and the final outcome. Luckily for her, she yet again had the opportunity to play a World Cup final, and by winning the Player of the Tournament award, she has won a mental battle that had scarred her for nearly a decade since July 2017.
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