Self-belief, small tweaks: How Deepti Sharma bounced back to silence critics
SAW vs INDW, 4th T20I: Deepti Sharma bounced back to form and silenced her critics, finishing with figures of 4-0-19-5 to help India beat South Africa by 14 runs on Saturday in Johannesburg.
Deepti Sharma was under immense pressure after going wicketless in five successive T20Is. As India slipped to a 3-0 deficit against South Africa, Deepti’s economy rate climbed above 10, raising concerns about her form. Ahead of the fourth T20I, head coach Amol Muzumdar also admitted that her struggles were worrying with the T20 World Cup approaching.
But on Saturday, April 25, Deepti roared back to form, silencing her critics in style. The 28-year-old claimed her maiden five-wicket haul, returning figures of 4-0-19-5, as India defeated the Proteas by 14 runs at the Wanderers Stadium.
South Africa vs India, 4th Women's T20I: Highlights | Scorecard
She later admitted that while others had faith in her, she initially lacked self-belief but was determined to bounce back, knowing that failures in crucial moments tend to linger in the mind.
“At first, all of you had so much belief in me. I didn’t have as much belief in myself, but I knew I had to come back strong because the team really needed it. If you don’t perform at a crucial time, it stays in your mind somewhere,” Deepti said while speaking to Jemimah Rodrigues in an interview on BCCI Women’s social media.
‘I MADE SMALL CORRECTIONS’
Apart from her five-wicket haul, Deepti also played a handy knock of 36 off 26 balls, helping India post 185 for five. She revealed that she worked on her bowling with Harmanpreet Kaur in the nets, making slight adjustments that played a key role in her comeback.
“My aim was to play one such knock or bowl one such spell that could take the team to a good result. I just kept believing in my hard work, and I think the work I did with Harry di, especially those small corrections during the nets, really helped me a lot,” Deepti added.
Deepti Sharma also became only the fourth woman to claim a five-wicket haul in all three formats, joining Jhulan Goswami, Jenny Gunn and Ashleigh Gardner. Deepti will look to carry that momentum into the fifth and final T20I against South Africa on Monday, April 27 at Willowmoore Park.