Deepti Sharma Record-Breaking Performance At The End Of 2024

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The women’s cricket team of India ended the year with a perfect ODI series clean sweep, winning 3-0 in the final game of 2024. One of the greatest positives of this series was Deepti Sharma‘s fantastic display of all-round brilliance as she not only sealed the series for India but also broke several individual records while doing so. With such a great all-round performance, she stamped her authority as one of the best players of women’s cricket.

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India Also Shares Match-Winning Lead

Statistics for the series of particular importance for India had also been on toss win for them. In each match of the three-match series, India had managed to win the toss which now made it their 12th consecutive toss victory in a three or more-match series. They also broke up the England record, whereby they have recorded the most match victories in three and three or more series of games. The winning toss helped set the tone for this series, where India dominated almost from the beginning in all matches.

Deepti Sharma’s Record-Tying Toss Wins

Deepti Sharma emerged as a key player for the Indian team not only during the balling but more importantly during the toss and its critical role. Within a span of three tosses that have gone her team’s way, Deepti has now equaled the most number of India-won tosses when India played women’s ODI cricket. She actually bettered the two-ODI toss win figure shared by some of the Indian legends who bowled their hearts out – names such as Ekta Bisht, Neetu David, and Jhulan Goswami. Her leadership in toss-related aspects has certainly served to bolster India’s stronghold over the series.

Women’s ODI Saw History Unfold

Deepti Sharma was equally impressive with the ball. In a rare and first-of-its-kind feat in women’s ODI history, Deepti and her bowling partner Renuka Singh took all 10 wickets in an ODI innings. That was only the third such instance in the history of women’s ODIs since its inception and the first since 2011. This achievement speaks volumes about this duo’s dominance and their command over the format.

Elite Company: Deepti Sharma Joins Six Hauls

Deepti’s individual bowling performance was another highlight of the series. With a sensational 6 for 31 in one of the matches, she became only the second bowler in women’s ODIs to have taken six wickets in an innings on two separate occasions. The first bowler to achieve this feat was South Africa’s Sune Luus. Deepti’s ability to replicate such a rare achievement further solidified her status as one of the premier bowlers in women’s cricket.

Renuka Singh Brilliant Display

In this series, another standout was Renuka Singh, who, with 10 wicket takes, remained the second-best performer among fast bowlers in any three-match ODI series. Only the two players she is following in this chart are Australians Ellyse Perry and South African Shabnim Ismail, who each took 11 wickets in a three-match series. Renuka also had the second-best Indian bowler performance in a three-match series. In fact, the top Indian bowler performance in terms of wickets taken was by Deepti Sharma in a series, taking 12 wickets in a series. Renuka’s tally speaks to her consistency and increasing prominence in the Indian bowling.

Deepti Sharma’s success in the series was part of a record-breaking year for the bowler. With 24 wickets in 2024, Deepti finished the year as the highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs globally. England’s Sophie Ecclestone, a premier spinner in women’s cricket, took 21 wickets this year, but Deepti’s tally set a new benchmark. This was also Deepti’s best-ever performance in a calendar year, surpassing her previous best of 22 wickets in 2017 and 2022.

First Indian bowler to top year-end wicket-taking list since 2006

Finishing the year as the top wicket-taker in women’s ODIs marked a significant moment in Indian cricket history. This is the first time since 2006 that an Indian bowler has topped the list of the most wickets in a calendar year. In 2006, Nuhsin-Al-Khadeer and Jhulan Goswami grabbed 23 wickets, which was the highest that year in women’s ODIs. Deepti crossed this with 24 wickets in 2024, which was a new milestone for Indian women’s cricket.

India finished the ODI series in style against their opponent. The clean sweep against them marked the end of 2024, as well as the emergence of star Deepti Sharma from the year. Her record-breaking performances, both with the bat and the ball, made her the standout player, while also helping India finish the year on a high note. As the year ended, Deepti’s statistics not only underlined her importance to the Indian team but also reinforced her position as one of the most formidable all-rounders in the world of women’s cricket.

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