Deepti Sharma becomes third-highest wicket-taker in WT20Is: Key stats
Deepti Sharma starred in India's 82-run win over Nepal in the 2024 Women's T20 Asia Cup encounter in Dambulla. The Indian spinner took three wickets as Nepal were restricted to 96/9 while chasing 179. With this, Deepti became the third-highest wicket-taker in Women's T20Is. Notably, India Women reached the semi-finals after beating Nepal. Here are the key stats.
Deepti takes three wickets
While Arundhati Reddy and Radha Yadav took two wickets each, Deepti was the pick of India's bowlers. She snapped up three wickets for 13 runs in four overs. Deepti dismissed Rubina Chhetri and Kabita Joshi before getting Kajal Shrestha in the match's final over. Meanwhile, Renuka Thakur Singh took one wicket for 15 runs in four overs, including a maiden.
Third-most wickets in WT20Is
As mentioned, Deepti has become the third-highest wicket-taker in Women's T20Is. She broke a tie with England's Sophie Ecclestone. Overall, Deepti is only behind Pakistan's Nida Dar (141) and Australia's Megan Schutt (136) in terms of WT20I wickets. Deepti now has 129 wickets from 115 WT20Is at an average of 18.65. Her tally includes an economy rate of 18.65.
Second-most wickets among spinners
It is worth noting that Deepti has the second-most wickets among spinners in WT20Is. Only Nida is ahead of the Indian spinner. Overall, only two other spinners have more than 120 wickets in the format.
A look at match summary
Shafali Verma and Dayalan Hemalatha were all over the Nepal bowlers in the first 10 overs after India's stand-in captain Smriti Mandhana elected to bat. The duo added 122 runs for the opening wicket, while Jemimah Rodrigues 15-ball 28* propelled India to 178/3 in 20 overs. Nepal batted positively but lost wickets in quick succession post the Powerplay. They were eventually restricted to 96/9.
