Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow.
Deepti Sharma crowned 'Player of the Tournament', achieves historic first-time double across men's and women's World Cups. She produced a sensational all-round performance to guide India to their first-ever Women's World Cup title, defeating South Africa in the final in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. The all-rounder was named Player of the Tournament after scoring a vital 215 runs and taking 22 wickets, playing a decisive role with both bat and ball.
Deepti's innings in the final came at a crucial stage when India needed stability in the middle overs. Her composed 58 anchored the innings and helped the team post a competitive total before she turned the match on its head with the ball, dismantling South Africa's batting lineup in the chase, as she finished with 5/39 in 9.3 overs.
With her incredible consistency throughout the tournament, Deepti became the first player in Women's World Cup history to achieve the double of 200 runs and 20 wickets in a single edition across the men's and women's World Cups. Across nine matches and seven innings, she scored 215 runs at an average of 30.71 and a strike rate of 90.71, including three half-centuries, with the highest score of 58. She was equally brilliant with the ball, finishing as the tournament's highest wicket-taker with 22 wickets at an average of 24.11 and her best bowling figures of 5/39. She also became the first Indian to claim a five-wicket haul in a Women's World Cup final.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday congratulated the Indian women's cricket team on their historic victory in the World Cup final against South Africa. "Our daughters are champions! They have not only won the match, but also won the hearts of the entire nation. This victory shows that the aspirations of India's daughters soar higher than the sky," Chouhan said in a post on X.
Fill in the blank with the most appropriate option to form a meaningful sentence derived from the statistical description of her performance:
Deepti Sharma's all-round performance was characterised by an unparalleled level of ________________, securing her place as the highest wicket-taker and consistently delivering runs throughout the tournament.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → steadiness
Steadiness means the quality of being regular, firm and consistent. The passage praises "her incredible consistency throughout the tournament", and the sentence speaks of her "consistently delivering runs".
Example: The bowler's steadiness under pressure won her the match.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: divergence — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: divergence means moving apart or becoming different; it does not describe a consistent record.
Example: There is a divergence of opinion within the team.
Option 2: serendipity — Incorrect. Wrong meaning: serendipity means finding something good by chance; her record came from consistent play, not from luck.
Example: Meeting an old friend in a new city was pure serendipity.
Option 4: variability — Incorrect. Opposite meaning: variability means the tendency to change or vary; it is the opposite of consistency.
Example: The variability of the weather ruined our plans.