In an era driven by stardom, noise and instant validation, Deepti Sharma has built her career on something far rarer, quiet excellence. She has never been the loudest presence in the room, nor the most marketed face of Indian women’s cricket, but year after year, match after match, Deepti has remained India’s most dependable constant. And 2025 only underlined why she is the most under-celebrated superstar of her generation.
Deepti’s journey has never followed a straight line. She began as an opener, was pushed down the order, at times as low as No. 8, and was repeatedly asked to adapt without complaint. Many players struggle when roles shift; Deepti embraced them. For a phase, she became almost typecast as a sweeper, criticised for not rotating strike or finishing games. Instead of pushing back, she went back to work.
The transformation truly accelerated during WPL 2025. Handed the captaincy of UP Warriorz and backed strongly by the coaching staff, mentor Jon Lewis and, as she herself acknowledged, Lisa Sthalekar, Deepti emerged as a visibly evolved batter. Straighter hitting, confident big shots over long-on, improved off-side play, suddenly, she was no longer just a stabiliser but a genuine match-winner with the bat.
That evolution translated seamlessly to the international stage. In ODIs in 2025, Deepti scored 596 runs in 17 innings at an average of 49.66, striking at nearly 100, numbers that speak of responsibility and intent. Her batting gave India the flexibility to float players like Richa Ghosh, Sneh Rana and Amanjot Kaur during the Women’s ODI World Cup, a tactical cushion that worked decisively in India’s favour. Her Player of the Tournament award was not a surprise; it was overdue recognition.
With the ball, Deepti has always been India’s problem-solver. New ball, middle overs, death, she delivers. Think of the pressure yorker to Annerie Dercksen in the World Cup final, or the way her wickets in T20Is in 2025 were evenly spread across phases, 5 wickets in the powerplay, 3 in the middle overs and 5 in the death overs. Add elite fielding specially inside the circle and unmatched cricket intelligence, throws, angles, rules, awareness and you have a complete all-rounder.
Now joint highest wicket-taker in women’s T20Is with Australia’s Megan Schutt and just 23 wickets shy of Jhulan Goswami’s international record, Deepti Sharma’s numbers tell a powerful story. But her true impact lies beyond statistics.
She may never chase the spotlight but Indian women’s cricket is stronger because Deepti Sharma never steps away from responsibility.
Also Read: IND-W vs SL-W: Harmanpreet Kaur surpasses Meg Lanning to become most successful women’s T20I captain
