Deepti Sharma joins Yuvraj Singh in this elite list: Details
What's the story
Deepti Sharma has scripted history by becoming the first cricketer, male or female, to score a half-century and take five wickets in a knock-out match of the ICC Women's World Cup. Her all-round heroics helped India clinch their maiden title in the tournament's history. The 27-year-old all-rounder scored a brilliant 58 runs and took five wickets for 39 runs against South Africa, leading India to victory by 52 runs.
Record
First player with this feat
Deepti Sharma is the first Indian woman to score a 50 and take five wickets in any One Day International (ODI) match. She is only the second Indian cricketer overall, after Yuvraj Singh's 50 and 5/31 against Ireland in the 2011 Men's World Cup, to achieve this feat in a World Cup game. Her all-round brilliance earned her the Player of the Tournament award as she finished with 215 runs and 22 wickets.
Match impact
Match-winning half-century from Deepti
Deepti Sharma came to bat at a crucial juncture with India at 166/2. Her composed half-century helped stabilize the innings after early breakthroughs by South Africa. She shared key partnerships with captain Harmanpreet Kaur (20) and Richa Ghosh (34) to take India to a strong total of 298/7. When the Proteas began their chase, Deepti turned the game decisively in India's favor with her bowling prowess.
Game changer
Deepti's bowling brilliance seals India's historic win
After Laura Wolvaardt's brilliant century (101) kept South Africa alive, Deepti's double strike removed both Wolvaardt and Annerie Dercksen (37) in quick succession. This spell swung the momentum back to India, with her figures of 5/39 making her only the second player to take a five-wicket haul in a Women's World Cup final. England's Anya Shrubsole was the first to achieve this against India in the final of 2017 edition.
Milestone
Other records broken by Deepti in the final
Deepti Sharma is the first player in Women's World Cup history to score over 200 runs and take over 20 wickets in a single edition. Her tally of 22 wickets broke the long-standing Indian record for most wickets in a Women's World Cup, surpassing Shubhangi Kulkarni (1981-82) and Neetu David (2005), who had each taken 20 wickets. The Uttar Pradesh-born all-rounder now stands as the second-highest wicket-taker for India in Women's World Cups with 36 scalps, behind only Jhulan Goswami (43).