Veda Krishnamurthy lauds Deepti Sharma, says "She will be a vital part of Indian team"

Deepti made her debut in T20I in 2016, and following that, she has appeared in 117 matches and 75 innings, where she scored 1020 runs at a strike rate of 104.29. The 27-year-old also picked up 131 wickets in 117 20-over matches and 114 innings.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Indian women's team departed for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as the ICC Women's T20 World Cup starts from October 3 onwards.

Speaking exclusively with Star Sports, Krishnamurthy also shared her thoughts on Deepti Sharma's role and said that the 27-year-old's bowling is crucial.

The former India cricketer added that Deepti can be "deadly" on wickets where there will be a turn. Krishnamurthy also pointed out Deepti's good form in the franchise leagues.

"She definitely will be, as her bowling is crucial. If there's any turn on offer, I think she'll be even more deadly in those conditions. It's been over a decade now--she debuted in 2014--and she's grown as a cricketer every year. She's reached a point where she's a vital part of the Indian team, regardless of the format. Her performance, especially with the bat, will be key. Whether she's coming in at number seven or eight, she can get those crucial runs. Deepti has been in good form with the franchise leagues she's played in, and she just needs to carry that form into this World Cup and do well for India," Krishnamurthy was quoted in a release from Star Sports as saying.

In the last edition of the T20 World Cup in 2022, India again came close to making history, storming into the semi-finals. However, Australia proved to be a stumbling block once again in the final four.

In the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, India has had mixed results. They lost the T20I series against Australia and England earlier this year, but Harmanpreet's side bounced back with two consecutive series wins against Bangladesh.

In July, India's T20I series against South Africa ended in a draw. In the Asia Cup 2024, India lost the final to Sri Lanka, who remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.

India will begin their T20 World Cup campaign against New Zealand on October 4 at Dubai International Stadium. Before the tournament, India will play warm-up matches against the West Indies and South Africa.

In the T20 World Cup last year, Australia defeated South Africa at home by 19 runs to win their sixth title. Meanwhile, India made it to the semifinals, losing to the Aussies by five runs.

Squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (WK), Yastika Bhatia (WK), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, Dayalan Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, Sajana Sajeevan.

Travelling reserves: Uma Chetry (wk), Tanuja Kanwer, Saima Thakor.

Non-Travelling Reserves: Raghvi Bist, Priya Mishra. (ANI)