New Delhi: Indian spinner Deepti Sharma wrote her name in the record books in India’s must-win Women’s T20 World Cup against Australia, becoming the most successful in the history of women’s international cricket.Deepti achieved a famous feat when she dismissed Australian opener Beth Mooney, who swept the wrong way and was caught by Radha Yadav at long-on. The wickets took Deepti’s tally to 356 international wickets, making it the all-time leading Indian batsman. Jhulan Goswami (355) at the top of the regular list. Australia’s Ellyse Perry (336), England’s Katherine Sciver-Brunt (335), Sophie Ecclestone (333) and South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail (323) complete the top six.
Most wickets in Women’s international cricket
- 356 – Deepti Sharma (IND)
- 355 – Jhulan Goswami (IND)
- 336 – Ellyse Pelly (AUS)
- 335 – Katherine Sciver-Brunt (ENG)
- 333 – Sophie Ecclestone (ENG)
- 323 – Shabnim Ismail (SA)
Earlier, India posted 170/4 after the captaincy Harmanpreet Kaur he made an unbeaten 56 off just 27 balls. The match came at a crucial time when India needed a win to keep their semifinal hopes alive after South Africa’s win against Bangladesh.India started slowly, Smriti Mandhana (38) and Shafali Verma (34) adding 66 runs for the first wicket. However, the score remained low before Shafali was sent off as he tried to chase. Soon after, Mandhana was dismissed following a mix-up with Jemimah Rodrigues, leaving India under pressure.Jemimah scored 34 off 28 balls but struggled to maintain her form and was retired in the final over to give way to senior batsman Richa Ghosh.While India’s batting looked a little slow, Harmanpreet turned the game around in a remarkable fashion. The all-rounder smashed three consecutive sixes off Australian captain Sophie Molineux in the final over, helping India score 23 runs in the last six balls and finish with a 170-run total.Later, Australia defeated India by six wickets in their crucial Women’s T20 World Cup, knocking the Women in Blue out of the tournament. Chasing 171, Australia reached the target just short, thanks to a match-winning knock from Ellyse Perry, who was named Player of the Match for her 56-run knock. Earlier, Harmanpreet Kaur’s half-century blast helped India post 170/4.