New Delhi: Global India Deepti Sharma are on the verge of rewriting cricket history as they prepare to take on Bangladesh in India’s fourth Group A match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Thursday.The 28-year-old off-spinner is currently linked with the former Indian pace legend Jhulan Goswami as the leading wicket-taker in women’s cricket in the world, with a total of 355 wickets. A single wicket against Bangladesh will see Deepti overtake Goswami and stand alone at the top of the all-time list.
One wicket away from record: Deepti’s record chase
Deepti has already given a popular campaign for the competition. They opened with a strong five-wicket haul against Pakistan, which led to India’s early dominance. He followed it up with figures of 1/26 against the Netherlands, a spell that helped him equal Jhulan’s record.However, they did not win in India’s previous match against South Africa, when the Proteas were bowled out Harmanpreet KaurPart of a six-wicket loss. Despite the setbacks, Deepti is still a reliable bowling option for India when it comes to important meetings.In all aspects, his numbers prove his dominance. Deepti is already India’s leading wicket-taker in T20 Internationals and the highest wicket-taker in the world, with 167 wickets in 147 matches. In ODIs, he has 166 wickets in 124 matches, second only to Jhulan Goswami’s 255 for India. In Tests, he has taken 22 wickets in just six matches.Behind Deepti and Jhulan on the all-time list are England’s Katherine Sciver-Brunt (335), Australia’s Ellyse Perry (332), Sophie Ecclestone (327) and South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail (318), highlighting the elite company she has to surpass.
India is concerned about the pre-war situation in Bangladesh
While Deepti’s main role dominates the spotlight, India enters the show with a sense of dread. The powerful begins Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma have always provided India with an early threat, but the middle order has struggled to convert platforms into match-winners.Failure to perform well between the overs again and again has left openers Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma with a lot to do in the short term. India’s loss to South Africa also marked the decline of the game as they reduced the opposition to 25 for 2.Bangladesh, meanwhile, arrived with confidence after wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands, focused on team play rather than strategy.For India, a win would secure their final push and set up a top-of-the-table clash against Australia. In Bangladesh, another upset could rock Group A.