Indian Women’s departing coach WV Raman is of the thought that Shafali Verma could change the way of the batting department thereby “demoralizing” the opponents in Test cricket too. Verma will be seen making her debut in the ODI and Test team in the upcoming tour of England, and also will be a part of the three formats in their next stint against Australia.
“If a batter goes on to psychologically demoralize the opposition bowlers in the first 45 minutes to one hour, I would take that any day in any format. Let’s say in a four-day game or a Test match you are as it is looking to play out, if at all you happen to bat first,” Raman was quoted as per Sports Today’s YouTube Channel.
“Sometimes there could be a bit of reluctance to bat first if you win the toss for various reasons, but if you have someone in your side who can go out…some players are like that, they don’t care what the conditions are, who they are up against, they would back themselves and they’ll go after the bowlers and demoralize them,” he further added.
Shafali Verma’s batting approach was much praised by WV Raman as he felt that she is a great opener and her way of opening the game at a strike rate of 148.31 in the T20Is will be beneficial for her in the other formats as well. He compared her style with that of the men’s team’s Prithvi Shaw and said that the two possess similar qualities of being on the top and adding quick-fire runs to the board.
Verma has proved to be the best T20I batter by gaining the top spot in the ICC Women’s T20I Batters ranking list. She first reached No. 1 during the Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 but fell down to No. 3 by the end of the tournament. She regained the position after her stint against South Africa in the home series in March, and she has been firm on No. 1 ever since.
When Raman was asked if the women’s team lacked a finisher and if 17-year-old Verma should be moved down the batting order to gather more runs towards the end, he said: “If they can find somebody who can do that from 35-50 overs, have them in the side, and have Shafali also in the side, why restrict yourself to either Shafali Verma or somebody at the bottom? Just have as many bazookas as you can and launch them mercilessly.”
Verma’s talent and skills have benefitted her positively and as a result, she has made her way into the Indian Test and ODI squad. Not just that, she has also been called up for the inaugural season of The Hundred starting July 21st and has also been signed for the Sydney Thunders at the Women’s Big Bash League later this year.
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