Deepti Sharma entered the history books after an impressive all-round performance during India's ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 game against Australia on Sunday. Deepti took two wickets while bowling first and then scored fighting 29 runs as India fell 9 runs short while chasing a tough 152-run target in Sharjah.
The top-ranked Indian all-rounder picked two big wickets of Grace Harris and Ellyse Perry but Australia managed to register a huge total batting first. After dismissing Perry in the 19th over, Deepti achieved a historic milestone in T20I history.
The 27-year-old spinner equalled New Zealand captain Sophie Devine's record for most T20I wickets against mighty Australians. Deepti now has taken 29 wickets in just 22 T20I innings against Australia at an amazing average of 20.13 and an economy rate of 7.19.
Most WT20I wickets against Australia
- Deepti Sharma - 29 wickets in 22 innings
- Sophie Devine - 29 wickets in 27 innings
Meanwhile, Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur top-scored with 54* off 47 balls and broke a couple of big records. She equalled the former captain and legendary cricketer Mithali Raj's all-time record for most runs by an Indian player in the Women's T20 World Cup. Mithali scored 726 runs in just 23 innings in the tournament while Harmanpreet took 33 innings to equal that record.
Harmanpreet also equalled Mithali and Smriti Mandhana's unique batting record after reaching 50 today. She became the only third Indian batter after Mithali and Smriti to register two back-to-back fifties in the Women's T20 World Cup matches. Mithali achieved this milestone first in 2018 and the current vice-captain Smriti matched it with two consecutive fifties during the 2023 edition in South Africa.
Most runs for India in Women’s T20 World Cup
- 726 - Harmanpreet Kaur
- 726 - Mithali Raj
- 524 - Smriti Mandhana
- 407 - Jemimah Rodrigues
- 375 - Punam Raut