In 2012, a family in Agra gathered in their living room — mother, father, four sons and a daughter. A lot of opinions had been given by extended family, neighbours and everyone else they knew. And now, a decision had to be made.
After a long conversation, the father turned to his 15-year-old daughter and said, “See, my child, if you keep playing cricket, it’s possible that you might become a big cricketer. But even if you don’t end up making it, I’ll still be your father.”
Nearly twelve years later, Agra decorated itself to welcome Deepti Sharma. “World Cup Winner, Arjuna Awardee and DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police),” the board outside her home proudly announced.
On November 2, 2025, India won their maiden Women’s World Cup trophy. Deepti Sharma, the all-rounder, was named Player of the Tournament. She became the first cricketer — man or woman — to take 22 wickets and score over 200 runs in a single World Cup edition.
After the final, Deepti stepped up for her first post-match interview. Asked a technical question about how she prepared herself to perform as a complete player on the biggest day of her career, she gave a simple answer — one reflecting focus, composure and self-belief: “No matter which department [I am playing], I always enjoy myself. I like challenges. And today too, I found myself with a ball and a bat in my hand, so I just played according to the situation. And I couldn’t have asked for a better moment.”
One champion, many firsts
On November 13, at around 10.30 am, 14-year-old Sreshti Kashyap and her ten-year-old brother were among the first to reach the front of Hotel Bhawna Clarks Inn. For the next two hours, the two of them stood beside a cylinder, blowing up saffron, white and green balloons and tying them to roadside poles.
Sreshti’s father is a balloon seller, and that morning she woke up early to help him decorate the area for Deepti Sharma’s homecoming roadshow.
“It’s the first time my father is putting up balloons for a woman, so I also came with him. I want to see Deepti,” she said.
Sreshti used to play cricket outside her house but stopped when she turned ten. “Everyone told me girls shouldn’t play. Now look at Deepti! I hope we can start playing again because of her,” she said.
As the morning unfolded, it became clear this was a first-of-its-kind day for many who had gathered, and perhaps for the city of Agra.
Shalu Singh, a 26-year-old sub-inspector, stood by the road preparing to manage the crowds. Nearly 150 police personnel from eight stations had been assigned to handle the parade.
“Some duties are very special. Today is one of them, and I’m feeling very good to be here for a woman,” she said. In her four-year career, Shalu said she had never been posted to control the crowd for a woman.
Nearby, the motley members of a band baja were setting up, discussing what they should play.
“We’ve played at weddings, traditional events, and even for politicians. It’s a bit confusing to decide what to play today,” said Muzamil, the only band member who had watched the World Cup final.
In his 30-year career, Mehboob had never performed for a woman. “It’s good. It’s new,” he said. They settled on a mix of devotional and patriotic songs.
Camels and horses soon made their way to the junction. Schoolchildren holding placards arrived, as did young cricketers from nearby academies, a few women, and hundreds of men.
From his flower shop at the street corner, 65-year-old Bipin Rawat watched the preparations. He has followed every match of this World Cup and the previous Women’s Premier League on his phone, connected to a small speaker in his shop.
“I’ve been watching women’s cricket since Jhulan Goswami’s time,” he said, referring to the legendary fast bowler who retired in 2022 after a 20-year career – before the game’s recent cash and glory.
“Now I am a fan of the dangerous captain, Harmanpreet Kaur,” he said, laughing.
During the tense semi-final and final, eight or nine people crowded into Bipin’s flower shop to watch the match on his phone. Most of them, he said, had assumed India wouldn’t make it, especially in the semi-final against Australia, the seven-time champions.
But Bipin bet on India and won Rs 200: one hundred for the semi-final and one hundred for the final.
This victory, he said, will be a turning point for women.
“Most families don’t allow our girls to play. But if property is divided equally between sons and daughters, why can’t playtime also be equal?” he asked.
By noon, Deepti arrived at the junction. The crowd roared, the band struck up its music, the speakers blasted songs from Chak De India, and the roadshow began. Deepti climbed onto a truck that slowly made its way toward Star Next Cricket Ground, the academy run by her brother, Sumit Sharma.
On the shoulders of Agra’s pioneers
At the beginning of the roadshow, Hemalata Kala stood just behind Deepti Sharma on stage, beaming with pride.
Deepti may be the first player from Agra to win a World Cup, but she is not the city’s first international cricketer. Hemalata Kala, Preethi Dimri, Poonam Yadav and more recently, Rashi Kanojia have all represented India on the global stage.
In 1999, Hemalata became the first woman from Agra to play for India in a match against England. She appeared in the 2000 and 2005 World Cups before retiring in 2008. Later, she served as Chief Selector of the Indian women’s cricket team from 2016 to 2020, during which she backed several key players, including the current vice-captain Smriti Mandhana.
In 2006, while practising at a ground in Agra, Hemalata noticed an eight-year-old throw a ball from the sidelines. “It was such a good throw that I turned around and saw a little boy. But to my surprise, I was told it was Deepti Sharma, a girl who had come to watch her brother practice,” she said.
She immediately called Deepti’s brother, Sumit Sharma, and asked him to bring her for training. Last week, Hemalata watched Deepti’s World Cup final from her home in Agra. “It was such an incredible moment for me. What a journey it has been for all of us,” she said.
When Hemalata first began playing, women’s cricket was run by the Women’s Cricket Association of India (WCAI). It was only in 2006 that the WCAI merged with the powerful Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), marking a turning point in terms of resources and support.
In just a few years, the landscape has transformed.
“During our time, we never played under floodlights or had a physiotherapist,” she said. “We had no brands lining up; no one even came to receive us when we returned from a tour.”
Travel, too, was a challenge. Unless a player had a job in Indian Railways – an important lifeline for women athletes through its sports quota – she had to pay for her own train tickets and buy her own kit. “I used to travel for two or three days by train to play a match in Bangalore. Once, I couldn’t get a ticket and crouched near the toilet of the train for the entire journey,” Hemalata recalled.
One detail stays with her: tournaments were often held on school or college grounds. The players stayed in campus hostels and ate hostel food. “Usually there were eight to twelve of us in one dorm, sharing a single toilet,” she said. “If our match was at 9 am, the first girl had to wake up to use the toilet, probably around 4 am.”
“We had no concept of rest, recovery or mental health support,” she said.
In 2022, the BCCI improved the pay for women’s games. And while the BCCI prides itself on it, the gap between what male and female players earn remains huge. “They may prattle on about ‘pay parity’ but the difference in cash awards to two sets of World Cup winners is in fact a clear reflection of pay patriarchy,” wrote Sharda Ugra in her piece titled ‘No parade, no parity: BCCI’s treatment of women’s cricket is still unequal’
Today, women take home Rs 15 lakh for a Test, Rs 6 lakh for an ODI and Rs 3 lakh for a T20I. For the 2025 World Cup, the BCCI announced a Rs 51 crore cash prize for players, staff and selection committee members.
Despite the odds, for Hemalata, all of this “is incredible and new.” She recalled that in her playing days, match fees ranged from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,500. For the 2005 World Cup, each player received Rs 8,000.
Today, in addition to the BCCI’s prize money, state governments are offering players grand welcomes, cash awards, cars, land and government jobs. Many of them have millions of followers on social media, alongside brand endorsements and businesses of their own.
The home that forged a champion
For Deepti, the days are long. Since the World Cup victory, she has been moving nonstop between brand endorsements, shoots and felicitations.
On November 13, she finally managed to have her first meal at home in Shahganj, Agra.
“I have not slept for days now. Everything feels like a dream,” she said, before adding, “This is not my dream alone; it is my brother’s dream as well.”
It was in Awadhpuri Colony that a young Deepti would sneak out to watch her brother play cricket. Soon, she insisted to her father that she be allowed to play too.
“A lot of people told me not to let her play. They said I should make her a doctor or an engineer, but my child only wanted to play. And I never stopped her,” said her father, Bhagwan Sharma. “One must never stop children from doing what they love.”
As Deepti began winning matches and making her mark, Sumit faced a difficult decision. He quit his job to coach her full-time.
“That’s the only time I felt scared,” Bhagwan said. “I worried about my son’s future. But he asked me for one year to get her into the national team — and he did it.”
Sumit now runs a cricket academy in Agra. “It’s called Star Next because I truly believe that with the right training, we can bring out the next star from Agra,” Sumit said.
At the cricket ground, young girls gathered around Deepti, getting their bats signed and photos clicked. Some were budding cricketers themselves, others just lived in the area.
“I had not heard of Deepti until the World Cup. But today my friends and I came running here after school when I heard she’s coming. We know it’s not a small thing she has done,” said 16-year-old Lalita Triwedi.
At the entrance to Awadhpuri Colony, a board reads: “Deepti Sharma Road.”
“She is our pride,” a neighbour said.
At 11 pm on November 13, a ten-year-old boy stood outside Deepti’s house, clutching his bat, waiting for her autograph.
Inside, Deepti was getting ready to travel to Lucknow, where she would be felicitated by Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. Her brother Sumit spoke with neighbours and the media. Her father stepped out repeatedly, pacing the verandah, looking up at the signboard bearing his daughter’s face.
It doesn’t take much to be moved by Deepti’s story. One may not be an avid cricket fan or even know the rules of the game, but everyone understands the value of having that one unwavering source of strength.
“I am so, so proud of her. I hope every father has a daughter like Deepti,” he said. “But I’ve always reminded her — no matter what marks she gets or what match she loses, I’m here.”
All photographs are by the author.