England in India: All-rounder Deepti Sharma compared to Ben Stokes after starring role
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Deepti was playing in her third Test
Deepti Sharma was labelled "the Ben Stokes" of the India team by coach Amol Muzumdar after the all-rounder helped her side thrash England in Mumbai.
Deepti took another four wickets on day three of the one-off Test as England were bowled out for 131 in a session to fall to a crushing 347-run defeat.
The scalps gave the 26-year-old match figures of 9-39, in addition to her important 67 with the bat in India's first-innings total of 428.
"She is fantastic," Muzumdar said.
"The confidence she showed in her batting and also the confidence gained from these two [bowling] innings, it is amazing.
"I jokingly call her the Ben Stokes of the team."
Deepti, who famously ran out Charlie Dean at the non-striker's end at Lord's in 2022, steered her side beyond 400 on day one with a calm knock featuring 10 fours and a six, having come in at 306-5.
She bowled 33 balls in England's reply, in which she bowled four maidens, took five wickets and conceded seven runs as the tourists collapsed from 79-2 to 136 all out.
England's sorry capitulation on day three was started by pace bowler Pooja Vastrakar, who claimed an impressive 3-23 including Sophia Dunkley and Nat Sciver-Brunt in successive balls, but Deepti still had Danni Wyatt caught at slip and Amy Jones taken at mid-wicket before she bowled Kate Cross and Lauren Filer.
Her match bowling figures were the second best in a Test for India, behind Jhulan Goswami's 10-78 against England in 2006.
"She is an important cog in the wheel when she comes in the lower order and also bowls those crucial overs and gets us wickets," Muzumdar said.
"It is very important to get her confidence in this Test. I am sure she will put in extra effort in the next one as well."
England's off-spinner Charlie Dean also took 4-68 on day two on a pitch that offered turn on the second and third day.
"She [Deepti] had a very good game," England captain Heather Knight said.
"She was very threatening, I think the off-spinners for both teams were the most threatening bowlers because there was some sharp turn for them.
"She bowled very attacking lines, didn't give us much room."
India's victory was their first Test win against England at home and their first victory in the format against any side in three attempts, after two successive draws.
They play a Test against all-conquering Australia at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai next week, starting on Thursday.
"Everything went according to our plan," captain Harmanpreet Kaur said. "Credit goes to every member of our team. It was such a good feeling after winning the game."