Deepti Sharma conferred with the Arjuna Award

Allrounder Deepti Sharma has been awarded the Arjuna Award, it was announced on Friday (August 21). The awards will be held virtually this year on Saturday (August 29) due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was nominated for the award last week by the committee comprising Virender Sehwag, former India (men's) cricket captain and Sardar Singh, former India hockey captain.

"Now, the responsibility to perform even better has increased," the 22-year old had said after being nominated. "I will try my best to fulfill the expectations. I am thankful to BCCI for nominating me for the prestigious award."

The off-spinner had a successful 2019, where she picked 34 wickets across formats. Her 19 wickets in T20Is came at an average of just under 14. Against South Africa last September, she also became the first Indian to bowl three maiden overs in a T20I innings, when she returned with figures of 4-3-8-3. She formed a potent spin combination alongside Poonam Yadav, the leg-spinner.

Congratulations to our all-rounder @Deepti_Sharma06 on being conferred upon with the prestigious Arjuna Award for 2020.

May you continue soaring new heights. pic.twitter.com/GlYv37IMB5

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 21, 2020

Sharma, who became the second from Agra to win the Arjuna Award after Yadav last year, also had a decent run with the bat over the past year. She was part of the team that played the T20 World Cup in Australia earlier this year, and in the opening match against the hosts, struck a crucial unbeaten 49 – her best in T20Is – that proved to be match-winning.

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Her brother, Sumit Sharma, had told Women's CricZone earlier that the family knew the Arjuna Award would be hers one day because of her sheer hard work.

"It is a proud moment for all of us. All the hard work that Deepti has put in and the belief that we had in her… The award is a result of that," he had said.

Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur were the recipients of the Arjuna Award in the two years before Yadav last year.