'I always dreamt of becoming a police officer. I used to see that it is a difficult job but I always wanted to wear that uniform once and wanted to see how it felt.'
It's not often that one gets to live a cherished professional dream after taking a completely different career path in life but Indian women's cricket team all-rounder Deepti Sharma counts herself among the lucky few after being appointed a DSP in Uttar Pradesh Police, something she aspired to be since childhood.
Sharma, who hails from Agra, was named a DSP in UP Police last month and was felicitated by state chief minister Yogi Adityanath with a cash prize of Rs 3 crore for her performances in the last couple of years. Sharma was part of the teams that won the Asian Games gold last year and the Commonwealth Games silver in 2022.
"I always dreamt of becoming a police officer. I used to see that it is a difficult job but I always wanted to wear that uniform once and wanted to see how it felt," Sharma told PTI Video.
"My parents also supported me that I should become a police officer. I and my family are really happy with this recognition," she said.
The off-spinner was adjudged the women's international cricketer of the year for the 2022-23 season in the annual BCCI honours for her stellar run during the award period.
The 26-year-old picked up 38 wickets during the time and contributed 313 runs with the bat, including two half centuries, in the T20 format.
She is now gearing up for the Women's Premier League which begins on Friday in Bengaluru. Sharma said that she is aiming to do well in tandem with fellow spinner Sophie Ecclestone in the UP Warriorz team.
The Warriorz will open their campaign against Royal Challengers on Saturday.
Sharma and Ecclestone are currently sitting at the top of the international bowling rankings in T20Is and will spearhead UP's attack.
The left-handed batter said that she will prefer to bat a bit higher in the order.
"The more balls I face, the more time I will get to score big. But whether I bat above or below, my focus will be to contribute for the team," she said.
