It was like a Diwali night as celebrations broke out at the home of seasoned all-rounder Deepti Sharma, who played a stellar role in India's maiden triumph in the women's World Cup in Navi Mumbai.
Deepti made run-a-ball 58 with the bat before the spinner starred with the ball with excellent figures of 5/39 to help India beat South Africa by 52 runs in the final on Sunday.
Deepti, who finished as the highest wicket-taker with 22 scalps at an economy rate of 5.52 along with scoring 215 runs in nine innings with three fifties, was also adjudged player of the tournament.
As soon as India won the final in distant Navi Mumbai, Deepti's family members and neighbours gathered at her home in Agra to celebrate the victory, bursting crackers and distributing sweets.
Deepti's father, Shri Bhagwan Sharma, said it was a moment of immense pride when his daughter lifted the World Cup trophy.
"It was a feeling beyond words. We watched the entire match together as a family, and now we are eagerly waiting for Deepti to return home. Once she arrives, we will celebrate her achievement in a big way. Her performance exceeded all our expectations," he told PTI.
Deepti's mother, Sushila Sharma, said, "Deepti has made our family and the entire nation proud. The credit for her success goes to her brother Sumit, who taught her cricket from childhood. Sumit had travelled to Mumbai to watch the final and cheer for his sister. The whole country and our family are proud of Deepti's success."
Meanwhile, seers in Ayodhya distributed sweets to people following India's triumph in the women's World Cup.
A day before the final, special prayers and hawans were held at several temples for the team's victory.
Speaking to PTI, Maheshwar Das, a sadhu from the Hanuman Garhi temple, said, "We prayed for the victory. We have distributed sweets among devotees and hailed the glorious win of our women's cricket team."
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