Dubai [UAE], September 1 (ANI): Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma celebrated her 150th T20I match with the team by cutting a cake following her side's win over Thailand in the women's Asia Cup opener.
During the women's Asia Cup opener a couple days back, Deepti became the third Indian woman to reach the 150th T20I landmark after Harmanpreet Kaur (202) and Smriti Mandhana (171) reached the milestone. She scored five runs and bowled a sensational spell of 0/3 in 1.1 overs. She also became the leading wicket-taker in T20Is during the match.
In a video posted by BCCI, Indian women's team head coach Amol Muzumdar hailed her for her relentless dedication and hard work in both matches and training sessions.
"I have never seen her miss a single practice session, let alone a match. And in the practice session, she's the first to be in the nets and the last to come out of the nets and last to take the catches. So I think this is just a reward of your hard work, Deepti. May God bless you, and you take this way forward, yeah? Do not just stop here, another 150 games to go. Aim for the skies, all the best!," said the coach.
A successful outing in a milestone match 🙌
Summing up Deepti Sharma's eventful 150th T20I with words of motivation and celebrations 👌👌#TeamIndia | #WomensAsiaCup pic.twitter.com/pFJtoeSmeX
After this, Team India celebrated the milestone by having Deepti cut a cake.
Deepti became the leading wicket-taker in Women's T20 Internationals, surpassing Thailand's Thipatcha Putthawong to claim the top spot with 171 wickets in the format. The Indian spinner produced a remarkable spell of 3 wickets without conceding a single run, becoming the first Indian cricketer to achieve the feat in a Women's T20I.
Her figures of 3/0 also became the most economical three-wicket haul by an Indian player in Women's T20I history. Before this, Renuka Singh held the record for the best figures in a three-plus-wicket haul by an Indian, with 3/5 against Sri Lanka in Sylhet in 2022.
With 171 wickets, Deepti now leads the list of highest wicket-takers in Women's T20Is, followed by Thailand skipper Thipatcha Putthawong (170), Rwanda's Henriette Ishimwe (164), England's Sophie Ecclestone (154) and Hong Kong's Kary Chan (153).
Overall, there have been 26 instances of bowlers taking three or more wickets without conceding a run in Women's T20I cricket, but Deepti is the first Indian to reach the milestone.
In the match, India posted 159/9, powered by a brilliant 64-run knock from Shafali Verma off 36 balls, including eight fours and three sixes. Despite a late collapse, India managed to set a challenging target.
Thailand's chase never gained momentum as the Indian bowling attack kept striking at regular intervals, bowling them out for just 65 in 16.1 overs. Nandni Sharma also impressed with figures of 3/18, while Shree Charani claimed 2/10 as India's spin attack dominated the contest. For Thailand, Nannapat Koncharoenkai was the only batter to offer resistance, scoring 41 off 48 balls, but the team was eventually bowled out for 65.
India will next face Hong Kong Women on September 3. (ANI)
