New Delhi, Nov 12 (UNI) Fresh off their historic ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 20265 triumph, India have already set their sights towards ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.
For Deepti Sharma, one of the stars of India’s campaign, the focus is now on clinching the world title in the shortest format.
“The T20 World Cup will definitely be on our minds. Our focus will be on that, and it will be part of our process,” she told Cricbuzz.
“Whenever we practise, we’ll keep that in mind. But there’s still some time to go, so it’s not like we’re thinking about it all the time. Definitely, though, we will plan and prepare for it.”
Next year’s T20 World Cup will kickstart in England from June 1, with the hosts facing Sri Lanka in the tournament opener in Edgbaston.
As India lifted their maiden Cricket World Cup title earlier this month, Deepti was named the Aramco Player of the Tournament for her all-round efforts.
The 28-year-old finished as the top wicket taker at the tournament with 22 scalps and also scored 215 runs, which included three fifties. Her standout performance would come in the summit clash against South Africa, where she scored a half-century and nabbed a five-wicket haul.
Recapping the events, Deepti conceded, “This is like a dream. I always used to think ‘one day, when we become champions, I want to leave an impactful performance in that moment’.
“And I feel lucky that in the final, I could contribute in a way that helped us lift that trophy.”
Providing further insight on her memorable display, Deepti shared how skipper Harmanpreet Kaur and teammates egged her on to take centre-stage in the final.
“During the game, I was talking to Harry di (Harmanpreet Kaur) and others in the team, and they kept motivating me, saying, ‘No, Deepti, you can do it. We need this wicket, and we know you’ll get it’.
“That belief from them gave me even more confidence. But I’ve always told myself, ‘You have to trust your own ability, your own strengths.’ When you truly back yourself, the results will come.”
Taking a moment to reflect on her team’s achievement, the all-rounder hopes that their triumph will inspire a new generation of girls to take up the sport.
“This World Cup will always be one of the biggest memories of my life. And I think it will inspire the younger generation too. When they see this, they’ll feel ‘if we want to play sports, we want to play cricket’. That mentality will grow now.”
