Over the course of the last year, Shafali Verma has emerged as one of the biggest positives for the Indian Women Cricket team. She has not only made headlines, courtesy her brilliant batting performances against top opponents, she even became the number 1 batswoman in the shortest format of the game in the latest rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC). She was also the star performer in India’s campaign in the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020.
Shafali has scored as many as 487 runs in 19 matches with the help of two fifties until now. She also ended the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 as India’s highest run-getter accumulating as many as 163 runs in five matches at a spectacular strike rate of 158.25.
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However, Shafali failed to produce a good knock in the finals against Australia and India ended up on the losing side. The youngster is sure to get many more opportunities to win the final and lift the cup for India in years to come.
Post the tournament, Verma has now gone on record saying that not everyone is as lucky as she is to feature in the Indian team participating in the World Cup and become a part of the squad which is so talented and experienced at the international level.
“The last one month has been pretty special for me. Not everyone is lucky to play in a World Cup with some of the best cricketers. I got the opportunity, and that too at such a young age. I will never forget the welcome that I received at my home in Rohtak. There were dhols (drums) and music. My relatives received me with garlands and I felt pretty special. It was like a dream after a special tournament,” the right-handed batswoman wrote in a piece for Hindustan Times.
“My father was there in Australia and I can sense his pride when he talks about me to his friend. I often shadow practice at home with a tennis ball,” Verma said.
“For a [batter], it’s essential to maintain the rhythm and touch. It’s very important that I don’t get rusty. Nothing can substitute playing an actual game but one has to make the best out of a situation,” she added.