Stumper Sushma proves batting mettle
CHANDIGARH: On the eve of the ICC Women’s World Cup, an upset Sushma Verma was in Dharamsala to meet her coach Pawan Sen. Since making her India debut in 2014, Sushma hadn’t done wonders with the bat but felt she had not been given enough opportunities, slotted as she was down the batting order.
Sen had a simple solution: “Forget the past and start from scratch.” On Sunday in Derby, the India wicketkeeper played the best knock of her career, a vital effort to set up the victory over Pakistan. Promoted to No 7, the 24-year-old scored a 35-ball 33 and raised a crucial 34-run stand with Jhulan Goswami to help India recover from 111/6 to 169/9. India went on to beat Pakistan by 95 runs, their third win.
“Sushma was batting at No 9 and 10. She was feeling unused. The fact that she was not able to show her batting skills shook her confidence. At one stage, it also reflected on her keeping. Then we planned her training, which included batting in the nets for long hours. By end of it, she was hungry to go to England and do well with the bat. Against Pakistan, she played like a champion and bailed out the team,” Sen, who has trained Sushma since her junior days at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket residential academy in Dharamsala, told HT.
The player from Shimla became the first woman cricketer from the state to play for India in 2014. However, until the tie against Pakistan, she had got to bat just eight times in 22 ODIs, facing just 56 deliveries and scoring 13 runs.
Skipper Mithali Raj acknowledged Sushma Verma’s knock after the win over Pakistan. “On a few occasions in domestic cricket, when our Central Zone side was in similar situation, she bailed us out. We expected her to play that role and she did until the 48th over. Those boundaries were also very crucial.”
Sushma hit three fours and the only six of the innings.
Off the field, she loves to joke and takes on the role of team photographer and videographer. “Sushma is our selfie expert. When she is around, we don’t take out our phones to click pictures or make videos. She captures the moments very well. Whether the team is travelling in a bus to the venue or taking celebratory pictures, Sushma is the girl,” Harmanpreet Kaur told HT recently.