NEW DELHI: India all-rounder Deepti Sharma is on the verge of rewriting cricket history as she prepares to take the field against Bangladesh in India’s fourth Group A match of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026 on Thursday.The 28-year-old spinner is currently linked with the former Indian pace legend Jhulan Goswami as the leading wicket-taker in women’s international cricket, with the two having claimed 355 wickets. A single wicket against Bangladesh sees Deepti pass Goswami and stand alone at the top of the all-time list.
A wicket away from history: Deepti’s record chase
Deepti has already had an outstanding campaign in the tournament. She opened with a brilliant five-wicket haul against Pakistan, setting the tone for India’s early dominance. He followed it up with figures of 1/26 against the Netherlands, a spell that helped him equal Jhulan’s long-standing record.However, she went wicketless in India’s previous match against South Africa, where the Proteas gave Harmanpreet KaurThe side suffered a six-wicket defeat. Despite that setback, Deepti remains India’s most reliable bowling option for a crucial encounter.Across formats, his numbers underline his dominance. Deepti is already India’s leading wicket-taker in T20 Internationals and the highest wicket-taker in the world in the format, with 167 wickets from 147 matches. In ODIs, he has 166 wickets from 124 matches, second only to Jhulan Goswami’s 255 for India. In Tests, he took 22 wickets in just six appearances.Behind Deepti and Jhulan on the all-time list are England’s Katherine Sciver-Brunt (335), Australia’s Ellyse Perry (332), Sophie Ecclestone (327) and South Africa’s Shabnim Ismail (318), highlighting the elite company she is poised to overcome.
India’s middle-order worries ahead of Bangladesh clash
While Deepti’s performance dominates the spotlight, India enter the match with tactical concerns. Forte starts from Smriti Mandhana and Shafali Verma consistently gave India early momentum but the middle order struggled to convert platforms into winning totals.Failure to capitalize in the middle overs repeatedly left finishers Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma with too much to do in limited time. India’s defeat to South Africa also exposed fielding lapses after reducing the opposition to 25 for 2.Bangladesh, meanwhile, arrived with confidence after wins over Pakistan and the Netherlands, built on disciplined team performances rather than individual brilliance.For India, a win will secure their semi-final and set up a high-profile clash against Australia. For Bangladesh, another upset rocked Group A.