Deshpande toured New Zealand and Pakistan with the India under-19s (in 1988 and 1989, respectively), and also represented the team at the 1988 Youth World Cup in Australia.
At the World Cup, he played in three of his team's seven matches, scoring 35 runs with a best of 22 against Pakistan.
[1][2] Deshpande made his first-class debut for Maharashtra in November 1989, aged 19, in a Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra.
In four matches in his debut season, he scored 396 runs, including 123 against Gujarat, 89 against Baroda, and 83 against Bombay.
Despite his earlier form, Deshpande scored only 97 runs from matches the following season, and never played again at first-class level.