Deepti Sharma overtook Australian fast bowler Megan Schutt on Tuesday for most wickets in women’s T20Is during the fifth and final game against Sri Lanka at the Greenfield Stadium in Thiruvananthampuram. The feat came after Deepti trapped Sri Lankan Nilakshika Silva in front.
With this wicket, Deepti now has 152 wickets in the shortest format of the game in women’s cricket as compared Schutt’s 151. Pakistan’s Nida Dar is third in the list with 144 scalps.
It has been a career-defining year for Deepti. An architect of India’s first-ever ICC Women’s World Cup win, Deepti was named the Player of the Tournament for her 20 wickets and 200-plus runs in the global event, thus becoming the first to do so in a singe edition of the event.
In the final against South Africa, Deepti’s five-wicket haul and 58 runs also earned her the Player of the Match award. The no.1 ranked all-rounder in T20Is also became the first Indian to enter the 150 club in the format
In the process, Deepti also closed in on fellow legendary Jhulan Goswami for most wickets in women’s international cricket. Deepti currently has 334 wickets (20 in Tests, 162 in ODIs & 152 in T20Is) as compared to Goswami’s 355 (44 in Tests, 255 in ODIs & 56 in T20Is). England’s Katherine Sciver-Brunt is second on the list with 335 wickets.
