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Deepti Sharma, the 26-year-old, is one of those all-rounders, who has turned out to be a fine utility cricketer for her country across formats. Especially with a ball in hand, she has not just provided breakthroughs but also kept a tight leash on the scoring rate. In the bowling department, she is the rock around whom others sculpt victories.
Let’s now delve deeper to understand the key role that Deepti is set to play in the upcoming Women’s T20 World Cup to be held on spin-friendly surfaces in Bangladesh. For starters, the tracks in Bangladesh are set to assist the spinners. Incidentally, India play all their Group A matches at the Sylhet International Stadium, where Deepti has found plenty of success: She has scalped 15 victims at an average of just under 10 and at an astounding economy rate of 3.76.
So, what are the key notes of Deepti’s bowling? She is one of those bowlers, who varies her pace superbly. The off-spinner can go from 70-72 kph to anywhere around 85 kph. From that context, it is logical to assume that she is bound to pick up a fair share of her wickets via caught at long-on, long-off, mid-wicket regions. In other words, the batters are set to take more chances against her, resulting in them losing their wickets. Generally, Deepti doesn’t provide much width or drift down the leg-side, bringing the LBW and bowled dismissals into play.
Deepti has also looked to evolve as a bowler. Just after putting on a game-breaking performance in India’s opening game of the Asia Cup against Pakistan, Deepti noted: “I felt great and it worked out according to plan. Bowled in the right areas. As a unit, we are doing very well, having camps has helped us a lot. I worked on my bowling after the South Africa series which helped.”
Deepti’s batting can also prove to be useful on slow pitches in Bangladesh. Just that it is about ensuring that she comes at the right slot in the batting order. Maybe, depending on the situation of the game, Deepti can bat at slightly different positions. She isn’t necessarily a power-hitter to take over the role of a finisher, although on slow surfaces of Bangladesh, scoring at around run-a-ball might prove to be enough.
The conditions in Bangladesh seem ideal for India to mount a serious challenge in the Women’s T20 World Cup. Who knows? They might even go on to hoist a World Cup trophy for the first time. For that to happen, Deepti has to play a significant role.