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How Deepti Sharma Became One of the World’s Best Women’s Cricket All-Rounders

Posted on 26th Oct 2026 04:44 pm by rohit kumar

Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma has established herself as an important player in women’s international cricket, but her journey towards becoming a more aggressive batter involved hard work, technical adjustments and some unconventional training methods.

 

A key moment came on April 1, 2021, when Deepti scored 113 runs for Bengal against Railways in a domestic one-day match. Despite reaching a century against a strong bowling attack, Bengal coach Charanjeet Singh believed she had left another 25–30 runs on the field.

 

Rather than treating the innings as a complete success, the coach identified areas where Deepti could improve, particularly her ability to score freely on the off-side. That assessment became an important part of her effort to develop a more effective batting game.

 

Deepti Sharma’s 113-Run Innings That Triggered a Change

 

Deepti’s 113 off 148 balls helped Bengal post 250/6 against Railways in the domestic one-day competition. Railways subsequently won the match by six wickets.

 

Although the century demonstrated her ability to bat for long periods, Charanjeet believed Deepti had missed opportunities to score more quickly. Her limitations in certain areas of the field meant that bowlers could sometimes restrict her scoring options.

 

The feedback was not intended to undermine her achievement. Instead, it highlighted the difference between compiling a substantial innings and maximising scoring opportunities.

 

Deepti responded by working on the technical areas that needed improvement, with particular attention to her off-side shots, bat speed and power-hitting.

 

How Hockey Ball and Tennis Ball Practice Helped

 

One of the more unusual elements of Deepti’s training was practising range-hitting with hockey balls, tennis balls and other types of balls.

 

According to Charanjeet, the purpose was to improve hand-eye coordination, bat speed, timing and balance. Different balls can travel at different speeds and behave differently after bouncing, forcing a batter to adjust her swing and make contact at the right moment.

 

The hockey-ball drill was designed to challenge Deepti to strike the ball cleanly even when its pace or bounce varied. The objective was to help her generate power without sacrificing balance or timing.

 

The approach was not simply about hitting more sixes. It was also intended to improve her ability to react to different deliveries and execute attacking shots with greater consistency.

 

Working on the Off-Side Game

 

Deepti’s coach also focused on improving her ability to score through the off-side, including cut shots and more powerful strokes towards the mid-off region.

 

Developing these options could make it harder for opposition bowlers to restrict her to a limited scoring area. It would also give her more ways to rotate the strike and accelerate during the middle and later stages of an innings.

 

Her batting development was particularly important in limited-overs cricket, where teams must balance the need to build partnerships with the demand for a competitive scoring rate.

 

Special Bowling Drills to Improve Accuracy

 

The training methods extended beyond batting. Charanjeet also used different-sized balls and unusual drills to help Deepti develop greater bowling control.

 

One exercise involved trying to bowl a ball through the gap in the centre of a tyre. The small target required precision and helped reinforce the importance of controlling direction and accuracy.

 

The coach also experimented with balls of different weights and sizes. Such exercises were intended to challenge Deepti’s control and confidence, although their effectiveness ultimately depended on how well the skills transferred to normal cricket conditions.

 

Deepti Sharma’s Strike Rate Improved After June 2022

 

Statistics reported by Cricbuzz show a substantial increase in Deepti’s scoring rate after June 2022.

 

In one-day internationals, her batting strike rate increased from 64.9 before June 2022 to 83.53 in the subsequent period covered by the analysis. In T20 internationals, it rose from 90.21 to 121.90.

 

A batting strike rate measures how many runs a batter scores per 100 balls faced. The improvement suggests that Deepti became more effective at scoring quickly, particularly in the shorter T20 format.

 

These figures compare two periods of her career and do not, by themselves, prove that any single training method caused the improvement. They nevertheless  the change in her approach to batting.

 

From a Record-Breaking ODI Innings to a More Complete All-Rounder

 

Deepti had already demonstrated her batting potential early in her international career. On May 15, 2017, she scored 188 off 160 balls against Ireland in a women’s ODI in South Africa.

 

That innings remains the highest individual ODI score by an Indian woman. Deepti and Punam Raut also shared a record 320-run opening partnership in the match.

 

Her subsequent development has involved improving the pace at which she scores, expanding her shot selection and continuing to contribute with the ball.

 

Deepti is also the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20 internationals. The ICC’s player profile lists her with 191 T20I wickets, underlining her importance as a bowler as well as a batter.

 

Why Deepti Sharma’s Improvement Is Still a Work in Progress

 

Deepti is often used in the lower middle order, including at number seven, where batters are expected to contribute quick runs during the final overs. The role requires the ability to find boundaries while making efficient use of the deliveries available.

 

Charanjeet has indicated that there remains room for further development in Deepti’s power-hitting and off-side game. Continued improvement could give her more options when the team needs to accelerate late in an innings.

 

Her journey highlights an important lesson in elite sport: success does not eliminate the need to identify weaknesses. Even after a century, a player can benefit from detailed feedback and targeted practice.

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