INTERVIEW
Follow UsThe time is just past 8 PM.
There is a bit of restlessness around the room in wait of Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma. Then she walks in, and you would expect her to have some sort of attitude, but there’s none.
It makes you rethink all the perceptions that you have about cricketers.
A little apology and a few seconds later, Deepti is well seated on the bean bag, ready for the interview. But then curiosity kicks in. Like a small kid, the all-rounder’s attention quickly gravitates to this little device before her.
She’s never seen this one before.
It immediately prompts her to go, “Yeh kya karta hai (What does this do)?” The device in question was Zoom H6, a commonly used portable hand-recording device used in journalism.
It wasn’t her surprise that caught our attention; it was her curiosity and humility. A few seconds later, we also learned that ‘Wrong answers only’ was too tough for her, for Deepti struggled to lie on the spot.
This is BCCI’s Best Women’s International cricketer of 2022-23 that we are talking about. But without one iota of attitude or bragging. Deepti’s magic has been such that even someone of Amol Muzumdar’s calibre called her the ‘Ben Stokes of the women’s team’.
“It was very nice (bilkul kaafi accha laga tha) to be called the Ben Stokes of the Indian team. My journey also started with a throw (run-out in 2017),” Deepti told Cricket.com in an exclusive interview.
It was only fitting that Deepti’s first big, eye-catching contribution was a direct hit to catch Katherine Sciver-Brunt a long way away from her crease in the 2017 Women’s ODI World Cup.
“When a coach gives you these kinds of compliments, there’s nothing bigger for the player. It is a confidence booster, and I just want to keep up the good work (hard work ko barkaraar rakhna hai).”
The last year has seen a meteoric rise in Deepti’s own game, with figures of 5/7 in a spell that saw the visiting English team collapse dramatically. It was also a spell that was integral in India sealing a huge win over Heather Knight and co, with their biggest margin of win in Tests.
Even there, the all-rounder’s answers were simplicity personified: to hit the right line and lengths.
“There was a turn on offer, so we executed the plan. We played according to the session, as just before Lunch, we tried to pick up two or three wickets. That was the only thing on our mind that we should keep picking wickets. My strength (stock delivery), that was my prime focus,” Deepti recalled her display against England in the one-off Test.
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Deepti is now 26, and every series is a maturing phase for her both as a batter and bowler, given that now the team directly depends on her all-round form. Last year, the all-rounder contributed heavily with the ball, earning her the accolade of being the best women’s cricketer in the country.
“Obviously, it was very nice (Winning the award for BCCI’s Best Women’s Cricketer of 2023). Last year was great for me personally, there were a lot of good takeaways. Whatever my form was, I would love to carry forward it to this year,” she said.
“I would put more work into this season. Performance-wise and mentally, too, I’m getting stronger as every series goes by. I learn from every series and keep contributing to the team’s success. That’s always my goal.”
Not only for Deepti but even for team India, 2023 was a year of joy. Harmanpreet Kaur and Co finally broke their title drought, winning the Asian Games gold medal.
The advent of the Women’s Premier League, just a few months before that, made it much easier for the Indian side, who now were fully flourishing and flexing their talents. It was merely a propagator or a stage for these talents to showcase their skills and, eventually, a vehicle to push a case for national selection.
The likes of Saika Ishaque, Amanjot Kaur and Shreyanka Patil have all graduated to the national team after the first season, playing different important roles.
“It was very good; we enjoyed the WPL and supported each other to showcase our talent. WPL is something that we looked forward to, and some people missed out on that,” Deepti said with a touch of joy.
“Some people get selected, and others don’t, it is part of the game. We love each other’s company and success, and the atmosphere totally changes. Indian leagues are fun to play.”
On a personal scale, too, it was a big year for Deepti.
It was an opportunity to finally showcase her skills as a finisher, something she relishes. But the results weren’t as relishing, given how she faltered under the pressure with one underwhelming knock after another.
At last year’s WPL, plying her trade for the UP Warriorz, Deepti had a season to forget with the bat. She finished the edition with only 90 runs against her name and averaged only 12.85 with an extremely disappointing strike-rate of 83.3, leading to intense criticism.
Her fortunes haven’t changed much since then.
Since that WPL, the left-handed batter has just scored 74 off 84 balls, evidently struggling with the bat for team India.
So when posed this ‘tough’ question, all she had to answer was: watch out!
“I have increased my sessions and worked a lot on my batting, playing according to the situation. The more shots I got into my arsenal, the more opportunities I could score in the field,” Deepti’s answers quickly turned more serious.
“That was my focus and also wanted to think about how much I could contribute with the bat being an all-rounder. I always focus on improving all the three facets of the game,” she added.
A vital cog of batting at the death overs is power-hitting, and India have over the years, shown great improvement in that department. But even then, there is a visible difference between the other sides and the Indian team.
Deepti attested that she has been working specifically to improve her power-hitting to live up to the bill of being a good ‘finisher’.
“I have worked previously and continue working hard on my power-hitting. I love the role of a finisher, that’s something that I enjoy doing. I know the situation, so that I can prepare myself according to the situation,” she said.
“Before going out to bat, I assess the conditions, how the batters have done, and the bowlers’ plans. Those things help me a lot when I go out to bat. I have improved upon my strengths,” she added.
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Deepti’s job in 2024 will be profound, given how the Warriorz have assembled their squad without too much experience. They have put a lot of trust in the two spin all-rounders to shoulder-lift the inexperienced bowling unit.
That combination even sends nervous energy waves across to the other camps, especially with Sophie Ecclestone at the other end of the bowling crease.
“Whenever we (Ecclestone-Deepti) bowl in the powerplay, we get a lot of help. From one end, she saves the runs, and I get the wicket and vice-versa. If it is tough for the batters to score runs from both ends, the team benefits with wickets,” Deepti said.
“That helps the team a lot. We don’t have to plan a lot after that. The captain’s job also becomes easy, and for the team, there is a good atmosphere. We always prefer to bowl in partnerships.”
So, are there any obvious differences between the captaincy styles of an Indian leader and an overseas leader?
“The difference isn’t a lot. There is just a change in thinking. Captains have the hard task of assessing the situation and thinking about the bowling changes. They have to react to the situation. There isn’t much difference between Indians and overseas, but whoever is mentally stronger takes better decisions,” Deepti answered.
If 2023 saw the best and worst of Deepti Sharma, the all-rounder, 2024 will give the 26-year-old all the license to stamp her authority all over the place with vital performances for the national team.
Given that the T20 World Cup is in Bangladesh, a place traditionally known to assist spinners, it might well be the tournament where Deepti, the all-rounder, finally arrives on the big stage.
“The wickets are slow and turning; it greatly helps the spinners. This is advantageous for us; we (spinners) will get help in Bangladesh. We just have to focus on our line and length, which will help us get closer to the T20 World Cup title,” Deepti ends with a bright touch of hope.
