Hard-hitter Shafali Verma set to pick up where she left off
CHANDIGARH: The last time Shafali Verma was in Australia during the T20 World Cup 2020, she was the hero of that rare story that leaves the sporting world gasping for more: the emergence of a fearless, wildly talented young player who catches everyone by surprise with breathless performances on the big stage.
Verma, 17, almost took India to a World Cup win.
The teenager from Haryana who swatted bowlers around the park became the outstanding story of the tournament. Now she is back on her hunting ground, still not of voting age, with the Indian team more dependent on her than before.
As India begin their ODI series on the tour to Australia (three ODIs, three T20s and a one-off Test), the team has a serious middle-order problem. For some time now, India’s batting has relied on Smriti Mandhana and Verma’s solid opening before struggling to put runs on the board in the middle.
Verma, on the other hand, has only grown in strength since her World Cup show, slipping in easily into the ODI set up and falling just four runs short of a 100 in her debut Test in June in England.
The only blemish so far has been her indifferent form at The Hundred in England, a format where she was tipped to thrive but where she barely made a flutter barring a 42-ball knock of 76. The multi-format Australia tour is one more chance for Verma to strengthen her position as one of the most exciting batters in the women’s game right now. “It’s an initial phase for her in international cricket and she has really impressed with her fearless strokeplay,” said former captain Anjum Chopra. “She has been given opportunities in all formats for India now and that is a good level of exposure. She made her presence felt in Australia in 2020, she is back there now but after gaining more experience playing around the world.”
The Australia tour is even more important for Verma, and for the Indian team in general, because it makes for an excellent launching pad for the 2022 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand in March.
“If she does well, she will definitely be able to carry that confidence forward,” Chopra said. “Even if she does’nt there’s still time before the world cup to work on her game and her fitness.” When it comes to technique, Verma’s strength has always been her power coupled with superb hand-eye coordination: see the ball, hit the ball. On bouncy Australian wickets with the home team’s excellent bowling attack led by Ellyse Perry on the hunt, her technique will be tested. “Technique is a very personal thing. It’s what suits the individual. As long as she knows how she is able to use the conditions—which will be different to her recent outing in England—it will help her,” Chopra said. “I am sure people around will help her understand the difference and she makes those adjustments. She brings that X factor to any team she is a part of and she will be required to play her part in the team. The methodology and mindset she has acquired has given her the initial success and pedestal. I would want her to play to her strength. You do not want her to change her style of play, but instead tighten her game to suit her style of play.”
India lost their warm-up game to Australia during which Shafali scored a 21-ball 27 and got out to uncapped quickie Stella Campbell.
When the Indian team led by Mithali Raj walk out to take on the hosts at Ray Mitchell Oval in Mackay on Tuesday, they will be without Harmanpreet Kaur, who injured her thumb during a training session. “Some days back she got a hit on the thumb and she is not available for the first ODI,” coach Ramesh Powar said on the eve of the match. “Next ODI we will take a call according to her pain management and fitness management.” Kaur, who ended her Hundred stint prematurely after just three innings owing to a quadriceps injury, was left out of the warm-up game against Australia. While Australia will look to extend their record-breaking 24-match winning streak in ODIs, India will be looking to find the right combination for the upcoming World Cup.
“We definitely are looking at the combinations for the World Cup, and we will be giving a little more game time to the players to fit into those roles, that’s our objective in the series,” Raj said. “We want to score consistently over 250. Playing against the best side before the World Cup, it is the best preparation that we can get.” Powar said that the team’s batting coach, former India opener Shiv Sunder Das, has been working extensively on Verma’s game.
“As far as Shafali is concerned, the way she played in the Test in England, we were happy. As a 17-year old, we have to give her a little breathing space,” Powar said. “Mithali, SS Das and I had conversations with her. She knows her role, what is expected out of her, so we don’t push a 17-year old, who is very expressive in her batting; we don’t want to curtail her game. Das has been working on her game as well as mental aspects.”