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NEW DELHI: India’s premier all-rounder Deepti Sharma produced a record-laden performance during the third T20 International against Sri Lanka, overtaking Australian great Ellyse Perry to become the third-highest wicket-taker in women’s international cricket.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Deepti returned figures of 3 for 18 at Thiruvananthapuram, a spell that took her overall tally to 333 international wickets, moving her past Perry, who finished her career with 331 wickets from 271 matches. Only England’s Katherine Sciver-Brunt (335 wickets in 275 matches) and Indian legend Jhulan Goswami (355 wickets in 291 matches) now sit above Deepti on the all-time list.
The performance also saw Deepti create history in the shortest format. She became the first Indian — across both men’s and women’s cricket — to reach the 150-wicket mark in T20 Internationals. In the process, she drew level with Australia’s Megan Schutt as the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is, with 151 wickets in 131 matches at an impressive average of 18.73. Her best figures in the format remain 4 for 10.In one-day internationals, Deepti continues to climb the charts as well. She is currently the eighth-highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs and India’s second-most successful bowler in the format after Jhulan Goswami, with 162 wickets from 121 matches at an average of 27.32. Her ODI record includes a career-best 6 for 20, along with three four-wicket hauls and four five-fors. In Test cricket, she has claimed 20 wickets in five matches at an average of 18.10, with both a four-for and a five-for to her name.Adding another milestone to an already glittering list, Deepti became the first cricketer in the history of the game — men or women — to score 1,000 runs and take 150 wickets in T20 Internationals. Alongside her 151 wickets, she has amassed 1,100 runs in 131 matches at an average of 23.40 and a strike rate of 104.26, including two half-centuries.In the match itself, India won the toss and opted to bowl. Sri Lanka managed 112 for 7 in their 20 overs, with Imesha Dulani (27), Hasini Perera (25) and Kavisha Dilhari (20) being the only batters to cross the 20-run mark. Renuka Singh starred with the ball, picking up 4 for 21.India’s chase was wrapped up in emphatic fashion, led by a blistering unbeaten 79 off 42 balls from Shafali Verma. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur added 21 as India cruised to an eight-wicket win in just 13.2 overs. Shafali registered her second consecutive half-century and continued her fine run in 2025, scoring 333 runs in eight T20Is at an average of 55.50 and a strike rate exceeding 173.
