She also shone in the all-important match against South Africa at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. Deepti’s performance of 58 off 58 and 5/39 in 9.3 overs made her the first cricketer to score fifty and bag five wickets in a Men’s or Women’s World Cup knockout match. She became the first women’s cricketer for India in ODIs to achieve the coveted double.
Deepti’s all-round performance has drawn comparisons with Yuvraj Singh, who played at the 2011 World Cup and lifted the same award for his all-round brilliance in India’s title win. Her performance at the mega event earned a lot of praise from ex-international cricketers and the cricket fraternity at large.
India recorded a 52-point win against the Proteas on Sunday 2 November. Deepti arrived in the middle in the 30th over and stayed till the end of the innings. Her run-a-ball 58 consisted of three fours and one six. As far as her performance with the ball is concerned, Deepti conceded just 39 runs in 9.3 overs. She also took the iconic last wicket of the match, that of Nadine de Klerk, who had played a starring role in South Africa’s three-wicket win over India in the competition stage.
While Deepti played a crucial role in the top-flight match, the Player of the Match award went to 21-year-old Shafali Verma. Shafali came in as a replacement for Pratika Rawal, who had sprained his ankle during the group match against Bangladesh, and fired on all cylinders when it mattered most. She top scored for the co-hosts with 87 off 78 and returned with figures of 2/36 in seven overs.
Women in Blue’s next assignment on the international stage will be a multi-format series against Australia in February-March next year. The away series consists of three T20Is, three ODIs and one Test. Deepti and the rest of the Indian contingent will feature in the Women’s Premier League ahead of the tour Down Under.
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