"Jokingly call her as Ben Stokes of team": India head coach Amol Muzumdar on Deepti Sharma

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 16 : Indian women's head coach Amol Muzumdar dubbed all-rounder Deepti Sharma as "Ben Stokes of the team" after her match tally of nine wickets, along with scores of 67 and 20, led India to a famous 347-run win at DY Patil Stadium on Saturday.
The hosts secured a resounding victory against England by 347 runs, a record triumph margin (in terms of runs) in women's Test cricket.
Deepti also became the second Indian player after Shubhangi Kulkarni to grab 5-wickets and slam a fifty in the same Test.
"You are talking about Stokesy - I jokingly call her as the Ben Stokes of the team. She is fantastic. The confidence she has shown in her batting and the confidence she has gained in these two innings - nine wickets in the Test match and a fifty" Muzumdar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
India scored 428 runs in their first innings, 410 of which came on the first day, and batted at a rate of more than four runs per over. Despite losing six wickets for 186 in the second innings, the run rate was around four and a half.
"She is an important cog in the wheel when she comes [to bat in the] lower order, bowls crucial overs, and gets wickets," he added.
On the back of a dominant display with bat and ball in the first innings, India had secured a massive lead of 292 runs. However, the Indian women decided against enforcing the follow on last evening and decided to extend their advantage on the scoreboard.
"No Test match is easy. But the efforts the girls put in before the Test match - the players who came in five-six days before, we had a nice solid group that was working at the Wankhede Stadium. The preparation was nice, and it resulted in a Test match win. We had thought about playing in a certain fashion as a team and we will continue to do that. It was not planned as a 400-run day. But we had to be positive. Glad that the team responded. And resulted in a good first day," Muzumdar said.
India won before lunch on the third day, a feat Muzumdar believes will help them prepare for the Test against Australia next week.
"Good signs for Indian cricket. All of them who made their debut [Jemimah Rodrigues, Shubha Satheesh and Renuka Thakur] batted and bowled well. England is a top side but at the same time, these youngsters got a taste of what Test cricket is about," he said.
Harmanpreet Kaur-led India team will now face off against Australia for a one-off Test at Wankhede from December 21.