Deepti Sharma's Divine Return: How Mahakal Temple Blessings Fueled World Cup Glory

During the World Cup, the Indian contingent had visited the temple after suffering back-to-back defeats in the tournament. The players participated in the early morning Bhasma Aarti and spent time offering prayers in the Nandi Hall.

The Bhasma Aarti at Mahakaleshwar is regarded as a spiritually powerful ritual, performed in the early morning hours. It holds profound importance for devotees, who see it as a rare chance to witness the divine form of Lord Mahakal in a solemn and mystical setting.

Team India went on to beat South Africa by 52 runs in the World Cup final to win their maiden ICC trophy, and Deepti was named the Player of the Tournament as she finished with 22 wickets to her name to top the wicket-taking charts.

"Honestly, this feels like a dream because we have not been able to come out of that emotion. Feeling really nice, I could contribute this way in a World Cup final. We have always thought about how we can use the takeaways from every match. Thanks to them (the people), this would not have been possible. As a team, we are feeling very happy," she had said after winning the POTS award on the night of the final.

“I always enjoy whichever department I am in, or whichever situation I am in. I wanted to play according to the situation. Enjoyed a lot. As a stage, to perform as an all-rounder, it cannot be a more amazing feeling. There has been a lot of change since 2017. I hope there are even more matches now (for us). I just wanted to dedicate this (POTS) trophy to my mom and dad,” she added.

Courtesy of her splendid performances, especially her fighting 58-run knock and 5-39 spell in the summit clash, the all-rounder also earned a place in the ICC’s Team of the Tournament.

- IANS