Deepti Sharma likes being feared. She relishes the fact that opponents worry when the ball is handed to her, wary not only of her smart off-spin but also of a potential non-striker run-out. She knows the rules of the game and lords over her opponents. A gun fielding arm is a bonus.
Over 11 years of international cricket, the now 28-year-old has amassed an enviable haul of accolades and records. But nothing, not yet at least, compares to her long-awaited triumph in the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup, where she finished as the Player of the Tournament.
It is clichéd to say the weeks since have been a blur for the victorious side, yet that is the reality Deepti is living. She has been home for barely a few days, pulled in every direction for felicitations, ad shoots, bureaucratic meetings, and endorsement deals.
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"I've barely had time to process the win. Anyone and everyone is flocking home to meet me, and meetings have come up one after another," she tells Sportstar in the middle of an ad shoot that has brought her to Mumbai.
This isn't a new experience for the southpaw. A runner-up finish in the 2017 World Cup brought her exploits to enough people for the Sharma family to struggle for privacy in their home in Agra.
"People were sad we didn't win, but were very happy with how far we went. There was a time when I couldn't step out of the home without someone coming up to me for photographs or autographs for some time," she recalls.
This was a massive change from when neighbours and acquaintances once tried their best to dissuade her parents from considering cricket as a path for their daughter.
"No one ever told me this directly, but many people told my parents that cricket ladkiyon ka khel nahin hai (cricket is not a sport for women). They suggested my mom and dad should focus on educating me and getting me married. But my parents never bothered to lend an ear to anything like this. So many of those people are now patting my back and welcoming me after a World Cup win. Things have certainly changed a lot," she says with a big smile.
Adding to the satisfaction is the fact that the road leading to her residence is now named after her, Arjuna Awardee Cricketer Deepti Sharma Marg.
Years ago, on this very lane, Deepti's cricketing dreams slowly began sprouting wings.
"When I was in school, there were a couple of friends I used to play gully cricket with. Whenever we got a break, we used to play. On Sundays as well. I would call, and we would all head out to play. It's something I still remember very clearly."
Life took them all in different directions, but many of them were in attendance watching as a 10-kilometre-long roadshow welcomed their old buddy back to the historic city, wishing that they, too, had stuck with something that once seemed to have no future.
Deepti's World Cup milestone haul - She's the first player with a fifty and a five-for in a women's World Cup match - 22 Wickets for Deepti in the tournament, the joint second highest in a Women's World Cup - Deepti is also the first player to do the double of 200-plus runs and 20-plus wickets in a World Cup, having scored 215 runs, including three fifties, and taken two four-plus wicket hauls
Imposter to superstar
It helped that her brother Sumit, who would eventually become the pillar supporting her career, also pursued cricket, even playing the C. K. Nayudu Trophy before moving on to a different profession. He would eventually quit that to dedicate his time entirely to Deepti's career, opening an academy along the way.
"If I were the first in my family asking to be allowed to do sport, maybe things would have been very different," she reflects on a choice that was neither financially nor culturally popular back then.
Cricket, at first, meant sneaking into her brother's matches or training sessions before she convinced her father to let her go without resorting to clandestine means.
The story of her sitting on the sidelines at the Eklavya Sports Stadium and then throwing a ball about 50 metres to hit the stumps directly, leading to a chance discovery by India international Hemlata Kala, is now a famous one.
What few know is that the now ruthless Deepti once barely looked anyone in the eye.
A 15-year transformation from a diminutive, soft-spoken boy-cut sporting kid into a sought-after all-rounder on the international stage is something former India cricketer and Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association general manager Rita Dey has witnessed up close.
Former India cricketer and Uttar Pradesh selector Rita Dey has watched Deepti Sharma evolve from a shy, little girl to a world champion from close quarters. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Former India cricketer and Uttar Pradesh selector Rita Dey has watched Deepti Sharma evolve from a shy, little girl to a world champion from close quarters. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A medium pacer in her early days, Deepti showed a jerk in her bowling action, prompting Rita to push her towards off-spin, and a willing Deepti agreed immediately.
"This has been the case all through her career. She is not one to say no. She will agree and work on anything the team wants her to do. Open the batting, go down to number eight, open the bowling, field in tough positions, she will do it all. She is an incredibly hard-working and obedient girl," Rita recalls.
"She listened to everyone, her coach, me, her brother. And she would take that and think it over. She would then come back with questions, notes, or follow-ups. She got mature well before she needed to, cricket-wise."
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Thirst for redemption
From being desperate to play, Deepti evolved into a triumph-hungry cricketer, with the 2017 World Cup becoming the turning point. Rita was consumed by joy when she saw her protege named in the squad. Consciously or not, she had pinned an unfulfilled desire of her own onto Deepti.
"I couldn't play the 1997 World Cup as my father passed away right before. Through Deepti, it was a chance to not just be a part of it, but we got so close to winning the cup."
Deepti still remembers sitting in the dugout as that final against England, one the Women in Blue would lose by nine runs, unfolded.
"Everything was going well; we had a decent partnership going and in no time, we lost," she reminisces, looking back at a shocking collapse that sent India spiralling from a position of advantage.
"Losing a match like that, so closely, felt so much worse than a one-sided defeat. The most important thing is that we were all one as a team. We didn't sit and assign blame. Something similar happened during this campaign, too. We were just looking ahead."
Deepti was part of heartbreaking campaigns in the 2017 and 2022 World Cups. India also squandered a chance to lift the T20 World Cup after a glorious run to the final in the 2020 edition. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Deepti was part of heartbreaking campaigns in the 2017 and 2022 World Cups. India also squandered a chance to lift the T20 World Cup after a glorious run to the final in the 2020 edition. | Photo Credit: Getty Images
Another heartbreak involving Deepti unfolded in the 2022 World Cup, in a must-win league clash against South Africa in Christchurch. Defending six runs in the final over, Deepti overstepped, handing Mignon du Preez a lifeline that eventually helped South Africa secure the win and a place in the semifinal.
The regret consumed her. "I remember, Jhulu di (Jhulan Goswami) and Mithali (Raj) were also playing probably their final game. That made me feel worse that I couldn't see the team through. I can't describe how bad I felt."
Watching such magnificent ODI careers end in a whimper kept her awake for a long time.
"A home World Cup, the occasion was not lost on us this time. We know we might never get a chance to script something as perfectly as this. Four years later, who knows where we will be?"
When the same team stood between India and glory again, Deepti did not miss. She scored a defiant run-a-ball 58 to help India reach 298, then took five wickets, including the prized scalp of Proteas captain and centurion Laura Wolvaardt, to help India finally cross the line in an ICC event.
Deepti Sharma came good with bat and ball for India in the final of the 2025 ODI World Cup. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Deepti Sharma came good with bat and ball for India in the final of the 2025 ODI World Cup. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
"Memories of 2022 crossed my mind, but it was important to forget whatever happened before and go again. I was able to do what I missed the last time."
This campaign saw Deepti repeatedly thrown into sticky situations, asked to drag India out of quicksand, a job that came with its share of stumbles. She registered the most expensive bowling figures in a Women's World Cup knockout match when she conceded 73 runs in the semifinal against Australia. Yet nothing fazed her. She had promised her brother that 'is baar jeetke hi ayenge (will win and come this time)'. Everything else could wait.
"I'm not a big thinker," she says, a learned departure from the overthinking teenager she once was.
"I read the situation and play, which is quite difficult because you can't always execute what you want to do every time. When the team wins after you perform as an all-rounder, it's a different feeling."
It's no surprise that coach Amol Muzumdar made it a habit to call Deepti 'Stokesy' when he took over in 2023.
"He gave me that name because of the power I have in my arm. I like it. He used to call me that in the nets, meetings, or during drills. He would say, 'I don't need to tell her what to do. She'll handle it.' It gave me so much confidence. I kept talking to myself about the things I had given him faith about as a player."
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Forged in fire
Deepti will be the first to insist that her on-field aggression is not anger. She considers herself calm and industrious once she steps past the boundary rope.
"There's a maturity to her now, but it's come the hard way. In 2018, during a series against England, Deepti's brother Sumit called me in the middle of a workday at All India Radio, saying he was worried about how Deepti would fare. I reached out, and she called me to discuss her grievances, including some issues she was having with a certain shot. That eventually ended with her crying. We spoke for a long time about how that was not going to help. Shots were analysed, variations discussed, and Deepti went and won Player of the Match in the next match, the third ODI in Nagpur," Rita says.
Rita remembers that year and how its experiences created confusion for Deepti. She insisted on moving to Bengal in the domestic circuit to work alongside Jhulan. UPCA, with the help of veteran administrator Rajiv Shukla, finally brought her back in 2022.
What few know is that the now ruthless Deepti once barely looked anyone in the eye. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
What few know is that the now ruthless Deepti once barely looked anyone in the eye. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The 2017 World Cup marked a shift in how the world viewed Deepti. Alongside Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur, the all-rounder became a sought-after name in the franchise circuit, heading first to the now-defunct Kia Super League before finding takers in the Women's Big Bash League and The Hundred. From 2023, she also had access to high-quality T20 cricket at home with the Women's Premier League.
An accumulator as a batter until then, these franchise stints forced Deepti to unlock pace and intent in a game increasingly favouring the fast and the brave. Winning the Most Valuable Player Award in the 2024 edition of the WPL underlined her evolution, a season in which she scored 295 runs at an average of 98.33, striking at 136.57.
The sweep shot is Deepti's go-to option, especially on challenging pitches. Just as often, that same sweep becomes her undoing, with teams planning for it.
"She took those failures back to her brother and worked it out in training. She never abandoned her natural ability to sweep, but added shotmaking all around the ground instead. She worked on her fitness to run the hard singles and twos," Rita points out.
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True to her roots
Staying true to what comes naturally while also reinventing herself is a mantra that extends to her life off the field.
Rita describes Deepti as someone who sits in the middle of the introvert-extrovert spectrum. She is happy in her own world and communicates in a way tailored to what the situation demands. Rita calls her an atypical figure in Agra's cultural fabric, where families often ensured girls were supervised everywhere for safety.
"She was not the type to go eat burgers, pizzas, or lose control over her fitness. It took a lot of convincing to get her to start eating eggs for extra protein; otherwise, she was absolutely fine to manage on homemade daal, chawal, paneer, vegetables, and such. Once her family saw her single-mindedly focused on success here, it eased their nerves, too. It's a lesson for this generation to learn. They need to be supported, but must guard against losing their way and getting distracted.
"I still remember the young teenager who called me from Shopper's Stop asking which pants she should pick with a certain shirt. I remember her asking me if getting an Android phone was the right move for her in 2015, when she saw everyone else already having one. She had small wishes like this from time to time, but never lost track."
DSP Deepti Sharma with her father and brothers | Photo Credit: Instagram/Deepti Sharma
DSP Deepti Sharma with her father and brothers | Photo Credit: Instagram/Deepti Sharma
Ever curious, she would constantly ask questions about her game, what coaches told her, and why certain ploys did not work the way she intended. Her father, Bhagwan, who worked for the Railways, and her mother, Sushila, who retired as a government school principal, prioritised education, and Deepti balanced cricket with her studies. Rita encouraged her to work on her English as well.
"'Why don't you give Rapidex a shot? How will you do your interviews as an Indian cricketer,' I would ask her. She would take it as a joke and say, 'Meri matrubhasha Hindi hai. Main wahi bolungi (Hindi is my mother tongue and I will speak Hindi)'. She has picked it up perfectly now, but has not lost her earthiness one bit even today."
When Deepti sat garlanded in the open jeep during her roadshow home, not a tear was visible. The years of crying were behind her, as were the years of overthinking. She had finally brought home the Raksha Bandhan gift she had promised her brother eight years earlier. Yet what thrilled her more was bringing home the gift of possibility for countless girls in her hometown, girls who once saw no viable future in sport.
Agra was always famous for the Taj Mahal. Now, it had another wonder, one who exceeded expectations while staying cheekily quiet and endearing.
"Our next goal is to win an Olympic medal and the T20 World Cup," she proudly declared then.
Ask her about legacy, and a probably rehearsed but sincere answer follows. "As many wins for India as I can manage. But I also want to see a boom in participation. I want girls to not just take up sport, but stick with it. Whenever anyone goes to an academy, we should now see them packed with girls."
Rita, meanwhile, is waiting for her frenemy to soak in the adulation, the appearances as Deputy Superintendent of Police, and the invitations from governments and institutions, before calling her home for their usual combination of good food and long conversations.
Published on Nov 20, 2025
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