(Video) Deepti Sharma Channels Inner ‘Rishabh Pant’ With Effortless One-Handed Six

Deepti Sharma's bowling was unimpressive with the ball in the first ODI against England Women, finishing with 0/58 from her ten overs.

(Video) Deepti Sharma Channels Inner ‘Rishabh Pant’ With Effortless One-Handed Six

Deepti Sharma's one-handed six reminded fans of similar shots from India Men's wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. (via Crictracker)

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India Women’s all-rounder Deepti Sharma channeled her inner ‘Rishabh Pant’, with a breath-taking one-handed six in a match-winning display against England Women. The 27-year-old later went on to even credit the Indian Men’s wicket-keeper as her inspiration for the shot. 

Deepti Sharma had a memorable outing in the first ODI against England, as she helped the Women in Blue triumph by four wickets. Sharma finished with an unbeaten 62 runs off 64 deliveries, enabling India to chase down a challenging 259-run target. It marked only the second-highest target successfully chased by the Indian Women’s side in an ODI, with their highest being 265 runs against Australia Women in 2021.

Having lost the five-match T20I series 3-2 earlier, England Women were seeking redemption by starting the ODI series on a high note. They managed to post a decent first total of 258/6 on the board, thanks to crucial knocks from Sophia Dunkley, who scored 83 off 92 balls, Alice Davidson-Richards, Emma Lamb and skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt. Meanwhile, for India, Kranti Goud and Sneh Rana scalped two wickets each. 

While India’s top-three chipped in with crucial runs during the chase, the stage was set for an remarkable display by Deepti Sharma, who stitched a 90-run stand with Jemimah Rodrigues. Sharma’s innings was defined by her calm and composed approach, as she hit only four boundaries, accumulating runs through singles and doubles. Nevertheless, her crucial knock guided India to 262/6 within 48.2 overs, giving her side a 1-0 lead in the three-match ODI series.

Deepti Sharma’s only six of her innings was a spectacular one. In the 38th over, the 27-year-old stood her ground and launched a length ball from pacer Lauren Bell flying over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. The shot, which ended up being a one-handed one, reminded fans of Indian Men’s wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant. In this instance, Deepti Sharma channeled her inner ‘Pant’ to showcase her audacious stroke-play and powerful hitting, mirroring the Indian men’s wicket-keeper’s unique shot selection.

She sealed the win in style with two boundaries in the second-last over of the innings, bowled by Kate Cross. After receiving the Player of the Match award, Deepti surprisingly revealed that her one-handed six was inspired directly by Rishabh Pant, calling him an inspiration. The all-rounder also mentioned her extensive net practice, focusing on adding new and innovative shots to her armory:

I play these shots in practice, I picked that up from Rishabh Pant. We have played in England before, we enjoy these conditions.

Deepti Sharma will be hoping to maintain her good form, when India Women take on England Women in the remaining ODIs, on 19 and 22 July. The off-spinner was quite impressive in the T20I series, scalping nine wickets in five matches at a brilliant average of 16.56 and an economy of 7.84. 

Deepti Sharma Believes India is on ‘Right Track’ for Upcoming Women’s ODI World Cup

Star India Women’s all-rounder Deepti Sharma expressed confidence in her team’s abilities, suggesting that they are on the ‘right track’ in preparation for the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup. The tournament, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is set to begin on September 30th later this year.

Deepti Sharma on India World Cup 2025
Deepti Sharma spoke on India’s preparedness for the upcoming 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup. (via Crictracker)

Deepti Sharma scored a match-winning knock of 62 runs against England, the highest score from No. 6 or lower for the India Women in a run-chase. After the match, she commented that the team has been performing well recently. While acknowledging that the World Cup is still some time away, Sharma stated that the team is currently focusing on a game-by-game approach and improving their performance.

World Cup is a little too far (away). We are not thinking about that but definitely we are going one match at a time. That’s what we are thinking at the moment.

India Women have now won 11 of their last 12 ODIs, a run that started with the home series against the West Indies, in December 2024. Their last outing ahead of the World Cup, will be a three-match ODI series against Australia, at home.