Cricketer or Firestarter: Deepti Sharma

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As the age-old stereotypical mindset of people is changing day by day, they are starting to accept and believe in the equality of gender in all aspects of society. In the recent past, Cricket also saw a change in the century-old notions of males being the only capable players of this game. Many efficient women cricketers have proved their potential through their brilliant performances, hard work, focus and determination.

Their achievements are indeed praiseworthy and motivating. The women cricketers have proved that nothing is impossible if one genuinely gives dedication and commitment to making their dreams successful. Many young aspirants go through the cricketing video of women’s ipl live score of these players to learn their strategies. 

Cricket is no longer the monopoly of the males. Females have proven their extraordinary talent in the field of Cricket. Deepti Sharma, one of India’s most successful women cricketers, is a girl-next-door from Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. Deepti’s devotion to the game of Cricket makes her exceptional from other girls of her age. She is a very hardworking and focused player who is always ready to learn new techniques and styles for her betterment. 

Deepti’s talent for the game was noticed by the selector, Hemlata Kala, when she was spotting team members for the Indian National Women’s Cricket team. Deepti’s abilities for the game were enhanced under the coaching of her brother, Sumit Sharma. She is one of the seven siblings, the children of Bhagwan Sharma, a chief booking clerk at Indian Railways. 

The incident of Deepti’s entering into the cricket world is almost like a fairy tale. Her brother Sumit was an enthusiastic player and used to practice Cricket at Eklavya Sports Stadium in Uttar Pradesh. Deepti always expressed her pride for her cricketer brother and desired to accompany him to the practice. One day at the age of 9 years, Deepti went With Sumit to watch him do net practice at the stadium. When the practice was on, at a point, the cricket ball rolled towards Deepti.

Little Deepti lifted the ball and threw it to the bowler. The ball went straight to hit the stumps. Sumit was thrilled to find her talent for the game. At that time, Hemlata Kala was present at the stadium. She appreciated Deepti’s throw and asked about her. She even predicted that one day she would represent the Indian team. Years later, her words became true, and India rejoiced to watch a star cricketer. 

Deepti’s natural knack for the game of Cricket was noticed by her brother, Sumit, when she started practicing under his guidance. Despite being a right-hander, Deepti chose to bat with the left hand and also decided to become a medium-pace bowler. Later, Deepti settled for the off-spin. She was a born cricketer with an inherent knowledge of the basics of the game. Despite her promising talent, her young age obstructed her entry into the U 19 team. 

To help this exceptionally talented girl, Hemlata came forward to guide her through more practice. Her practice continued in Delhi and Allahabad. With a lot of determination and focus Deepti could make it to the U 19 team in 2010. During the selection match, Deepti stunned everyone by scoring 65 runs besides three wickets. 

After Deepti’s selection to the U19 team, she worked harder to improve her abilities. Her superb performance against the Vidharba Women team in Kanpur, a remarkable 114, ensured her selection in the senior squad for women. She is one of the youngest girls to get selected for the Indian Women’s Cricket A team. At the age of only 15, Deepti was confirmed as a player for the senior team.

The BCCI national selector, Rita Dey, was impressed with Deepti’s performance as an all-rounder and her excessive enthusiasm for the game. It was Rita Dey who advised Deepti to change from pace bowling to spin, considering her stature.  In 2014 Deepti’s unbeaten 53 for India A facilitated her place on the national team. She was inspired by her childhood idol, Mithali Raj. Her stupendous performance in 2015-16 earned her the award of the Best Women Cricketer ( Junior ).

Deepti skipped the award ceremony to appear for a match for the central zone alongside Mithali Raj, who also abstained from receiving the award for the Best Women Cricketer (senior) on the stage for the same match the next day. In 2017 Deepti became a vital part of the West Bengal team for the Senior Women’s cricket. She joined the Bengal team to observe another legendary women cricketer, Jhulan Goswami, from close angles.

Deepti developed her bowling skills after studying the deliveries of the fastest women bowler, Jhulan Goswami. Deepti’s excellent performance for Bengal gave a solid wind to her career. She performed equally well in batting and bowling. When Bengal won the 50-0ver cricket competition in 2018-2019 with 22 wickets and 487 runs, Deepti became the highest run scorer and the second highest wicket-taker.

Her ability to adjust and socialize with her teammates is one of the reasons for her success. While playing for Bengal, she even started learning Bengali. Deepti became successful in scoring two centuries and one-half century in a few matches of her career. She also took 13 wickets in the match against Kerala in Bengaluru.

In June 2018, she received the esteemed Jagmohan Dalmiya Trophy from BCCI for being the Best Domestic Senior Women’s Cricketer. After a few years of her consistent, incredible performances, in the year 2021, she was selected in India’s Test squad for the one-off match against England. She also played for the Sydney Thunder in the 2021 WBBL. Recently, in July 2022, she played for India’s cricket team at the 2022 Commonwealth Tournament in  England. 

Deepti Sharma has come to the limelight with her consistent extraordinary performances. She is an inspiration for the young generation of today. Her success story is undoubtedly noteworthy. She is loved by all. The cricket board has acknowledged her skills many times and appreciated her performances. The cricket lovers aspire to see more of her mind-blowing matches. 
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