In the fourth T20I of the five-match series, Deepti Sharma finally found form, both with the bat and the ball.
Deepti Sharma roars back to form as India find consolation win
In the South Africa tour, Deepti had figures of 8.4-0-93-0 across the first three T20Is, while she made a solitary run in the only game she was dismissed. Before that, she had 9-0-71-1 in the T20Is in Australia, along with a run-a-ball seven.
Things had not been much better in the other formats either. In the ODIs in Australia, she had made 32 runs in three innings while going for 7.65 an over. In the one-off Test match, she failed to reach 10 in either innings and had two wickets.
Naturally, there were concerns around her form. When asked at a pre-match press conference, bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi had assured: “Deepti is a champion player. We all know that. One or two games or three games doesn’t justify the kind of talent she has, the kind of performance she has done over the years. We all know that she has been a champion player. ... This is the stage where she is probably not at her best as of now. But going back to the drawing board, she is working hard in the camp ... It’s only a matter of a few instances where probably she just strikes and she comes back shining.”
South Africa had already taken a 3-0 lead in the five-match series. In the fourth match, India were 105-4 when Deepti walked out, and captain Harmanpreet Kaur was the fifth to fall, on 120. Deepti (36 not out in 26 balls) and Richa Ghosh (34 not out in 18) then took them to 185-5.
South Africa had successfully chased in the first three games. Here, however, Laura Wolvaardt did not last. Sune Luus (40 in 24) and Tazmin Brits (30 in 23) took the hosts to 76-1 before Deepti bowled Luus and Annerie Dercksen. South Africa reached 123-4 when Kayla Reyneke hit Deepti to deep square-leg.
Deepti returned to strike twice more to finish with 4-0-19-5, her first T20I five-wicket haul, as South Africa finished on 171-9. She also became only the fourth woman bowler to take a five-wicket haul in all three international formats.
She also became the first Full Member player to score more than 35 and take five wickets in a women's T20I.
4th T20I, South Africa Women vs India Women
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Five-wicket haul in all three women’s international formats
| Bowler | Team | First Test five-for | First ODI five-for | First T20I five-for |
| Jhulan Goswami | India | 5-25 v England, 2005 | 5-16 v England, 2005 | 5-11 v Australia, 2011/12 |
| Jenny Gunn | England | 5-19 v India, 2014 | 5-31 v New Zealand, 2010 | 5-18 v New Zealand, 2012/13 |
| Ash Gardner | Australia | 8-66 v England, 2023 | 5-30 v India, 2024/25 | 5-22 v New Zealand, 2023 |
| Deepti Sharma | India | 5-7 v England, 2024/25 | 6-20 v Sri Lanka, 2016 | 5-19 v South Africa, 2025/26 |
