'Hanuman Ji is great, I am very grateful' - Deepti Sharma delighted after five-for in IND vs PAK thriller

All-rounder Deepti Sharma proved her worth once again as India thwarted Pakistan in the Women's T20 World Cup 2026 campaign opener at Edgbaston on Sunday, June 14. Deepti shone with the ball, taking a magnificent five-wicket haul to help the Women in Blue bundle the Pakistanis out for just 106 after setting a target of 171 in the first innings.

Deepti shared her joy at being the Player of the Match for her awe-inspiring spell with the ball. Her off-spin caught the Pakistani batters begging for mercy, as she gave away just 10 runs in her four-over spell and took five crucial breakthroughs to never let the game slip from India's favour. After spinning a web around the arch-rivals, Deepti credited the god and said that the credit of the win goes to the entire team.

I am very grateful. I like this kind of wicket; all credit goes to the team and I am very grateful, Hanuman Ji is great. I like ICC tournaments, I think. From there I started, so I like it. (Key to bowling on Birmingham pitch?) I think because it's turning, so I varied my pace in every ball and every over. That helped me a lot," Deepti said at the post-match presentation.

Because it's turning, so I just have belief that I have to bowl a little bit slower in the air and just believe in myself and bowl in the right areas. That's what I was doing," the Agra-born all-rounder added further.

While it is difficult to extract help for the spinners on pitches in the United Kingdom, Deepti used her skills and variations to excellent effect and eventually got successful in helping her team get off to a winning start in the global tournament. However, she believes that her bowling was an after-effect of the brilliant platform provided by the batting unit, especially Smriti Mandhana (68) and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur (36).

"(On the importance of experience in English conditions) Yeah, it's an amazing crowd here, and a lot of people are coming and supporting the Indian team today. And that's what we want in every game; let's keep coming and keep supporting. And especially I wanted to mention Smriti's and Harry Di's partnership. From there, we threw the momentum," she explained.

Women's T20 World Cup 2026: IND W vs PAK W Match Highlights

Ahead of the marquee event, Deepti had been going through a rough patch, failing to pick any wickets. However, she said that she wasn't concerned about not getting breakthroughs, and all it took was the arrival of the right opportunity to put her best foot forward.

"(On being wicketless in last few games.) Actually, I was not worried about when I didn't get wickets, but I always believe in myself that whenever the right time comes, I'll step up for the team, and that's how I play and bowl," the cricketer concluded.