India all-rounder Deepti Sharma became the leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is on Tuesday, surpassing Australia’s Megan Schutt during the fifth and final T20I against Sri Lanka in Thiruvananthapuram.
Sharma moved past Schutt’s tally of 151 wickets to reach 152, becoming the first Indian cricketer, male or female, to claim 150 wickets in T20Is. She achieved the milestone in her 133rd match and now averages just over 18 runs per wicket, with best figures of 4 for 10.
Earlier in the series, Sharma had also become the first player across men’s and women’s cricket to combine 1,000 runs and 150 wickets in the T20I format.
In Tuesday’s match, Sharma returned figures of 1 for 28 from four overs as India defended 175 for seven to beat Sri Lanka by 15 runs, completing a 5–0 series sweep.
Sri Lanka, chasing 176, were restricted to 160 for nine despite a 79-run second-wicket stand between Imesha Dulani and Hasini Perera after captain Chamari Athapaththu fell early.
India were powered by captain Harmanpreet Kaur’s half-century and a late surge from Arundhati Reddy, who struck 20 runs in the final over and added 33 runs with Sneh Rana for the eighth wicket to lift the hosts to a competitive total.
(IANS
