New Delhi:Team India’s journey to the final of the Women’s World T20 in March in Australia was on the back of some quality performances by the whole team. But a few players who stood out were Shafali Verma, Poonam Yadav, Shikha Pandey and Deepti Sharma. And Shikha and Deepti’s names have been suggested by BCCIs Cricket Operations team for this year’s Arjuna Awards.
Speaking to a leading news agency, sources in the know of developments said that Shikha and Deepti's performance in the World T20 as well as in the last year saw their names being forwarded to the office-bearers for recommendation for the prestigious awards.
"Yes, the office-bearers were given the names of Shikha and Deepti by the cricket operations team for not just their brilliant show in the World T20 in Australia where we finished as runners-up, but also for their consistent showing in the last season. These two names have been forwarded to the office-bearers and are likely to be forwarded to the ministry for the Arjuna Awards once they approve," the source said.
If Shafali showed the way with the bat in the showpiece event, scoring 163 runs in 5 games at a strike-rate of 158.25, Shikha picked seven wickets from five games with best figures of 3/14. Deepti played an all-round role in the tournament and was instrumental in India beating ultimate champions Australia in the opening game of the competition with her knock of unbeaten 49 in the lower half of the innings. She finished with 116 runs in the tournament.