Indian all-rounder Deepti Sharma on Tuesday (December 30) became the highest wicket-taker, ever, in T20I cricket, going past Australian Megan Schutt’s tally of 151 with her 152nd scalp during the fifth
T20I against Sri Lanka at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
The record-breaking scalp came as India beat the Lankans by 15 runs to secure a 5-0 clean sweep in the home series. Chasing 176, Sri Lanka managed 160/7, with Deepti taking one wicket — number four Nilakshika Silva.
Top-10 wicket-takers in women’s T20I cricket (as of 30.12.25)
| Player | Country | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy Rate | Five-wicket hauls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deepti Sharma | India | 133 | 152 | 19.00 | 6.12 | 0 |
| Megan Schutt | Australia | 123 | 151 | 17.70 | 6.40 | 1 |
| H Ishimwe | Rwanda | 117 | 144 | 10.33 | 4.31 | 2 |
| Nida Dar | Pakistan | 160 | 144 | 20.20 | 5.70 | 1 |
| Sophie Ecclestone | England | 101 | 142 | 15.73 | 5.96 | 0 |
| C Aweko | Uganda | 115 | 139 | 11.86 | 3.83 | 0 |
| T Putthawong | Thailand | 86 | 131 | 8.83 | 3.90 | 2 |
| N Boochatham | Thailand | 116 | 126 | 10.89 | 4.12 | 1 |
| Ellyse Perry | Australia | 168 | 126 | 18.92 | 5.84 | 0 |
| O Kamchomphu | Thailand | 118 | 125 | 11.50 | 4.55 | 1 |
In the third T20I played last week, Deepti equalled Schutt’s record and became the first player — male or female — in the history of the format to register more than 1000 runs and 150-plus wickets. Deepti has amassed over 1,100 T20I runs at an average of 23.40 and a strike rate of 104.26, including two half-centuries.
Deepti achieved the landmark by removing Sri Lanka’s Kavisha Dilhari. Her impactful figures of 3 for 18 in that contest not only played a key role in India’s victory but also took her past Australia great Ellyse Perry on the all-time international wicket list. Deepti now has 334 wickets from 273 matches.
Only two players sit above her on the overall charts: England’s Nat Sciver-Brunt, who finished with 335 wickets in 275 appearances, and former India pacer Jhulan Goswami, the leading wicket-taker with 355 wickets from 291 matches.
In the ODI format, Deepti is already among the elite, standing as the eighth-highest wicket-taker and second for India behind Goswami. She has claimed 162 wickets in 121 matches at an average of 27.32, including a career-best 6 for 20, along with three four-wicket hauls and four five-wicket hauls.
Her red-ball numbers are equally impressive, having picked up 20 wickets in five Test matches at an average of 18.10, with one four-for and one five-for to her name.
