After being promoted to DSP in the UP Police, Deepti Sharma recalls, “I always dreamed of being a cop.”

Not many people get to live out their childhood dream of becoming a professional athlete after choosing a totally different path in life, but Deepti Sharma, an all-rounder for the Indian women’s cricket team, counts herself among the fortunate few who have achieved this goal after being appointed a DSP in the Uttar Pradesh Police.

Agra native Sharma was awarded a financial reward of Rs 3 crore by state chief minister Yogi Adityanath for her outstanding work over the last several years, and she was made a DSP in the UP Police last month.

Sharma competed on teams that won silver in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and gold at the Asian Games last year.

“I’ve always wanted to work as a police officer. Although I knew it was a challenging job, I had always wanted to put on the uniform and experience what it was like,” Sharma said to PTI Video.

“My parents encouraged me to pursue a career in law enforcement as well. This award makes my family and I very pleased,” she said.

Due to her outstanding performance throughout the award period, the off-spinner was named the women’s international cricketer of the year for the 2022–2023 season at the annual BCCI honors.

In the T20 format, the 26-year-old amassed 313 runs at bat, including two half centuries, and claimed 38 wickets throughout that period.

She is now preparing for Friday’s Women’s Premier League kickoff in Bengaluru.

Sharma said that she hopes to perform well alongside Sophie Ecclestone, another spinner on the UP Warriorz squad.

On Saturday, the Warriorz will play their first game of the season against Royal Challengers.

UP’s assault will be led by Sharma and Ecclestone, who are now leading the world in T20I bowling rankings.

According to the left-handed hitter, she would rather bat a little higher in the order.

“I will have more opportunities to score big the more balls I confront. However, my main goal will be to help the team, regardless of whether I bat above or below,” she said.