Shafali Verma has become a household name, courtesy of her exploits with the bat. Hailing from Rohtak, this child prodigy shot to fame in 2019 when she featured in the Women’s T20 Challenge, sometimes referred to as women’s IPL. The swashbuckling opening bat is a bundle of talent and there is no doubt that this young gun will go a long way.
On her 17th birthday today, let’s look at some of the stellar achievements of Shafali Verma.
- The right-hand opening bat is the youngest ever to play T20I cricket for India.
- She is not just the youngest to represent India in the shortest format.
- She is also the youngest in the country to score an international fifty. By doing so, she broke the 30-year-old record of master blaster Sachin Tendulkar, who had scored an international half-century at 16 years 214 days of age. Verma was just 15 years 285 days old then. This feat was achieved against West Indies at Gros Islet on November 9, 2019. This was her fifth T20I for India. She smashed 73 off 49 and her innings was laced with half a dozen boundaries and four maximums. Her blazing knock powered the Women in Blue to a convincing 84-run win. In the same match, Shafali stitched a record opening partnership of 143 runs with Smriti Mandhana. The duo piled up the runs in just 15.3 overs.
- Having played just 19 T20Is so far, she has taken the world of cricket by storm, courtesy of her fearless batting. In her short career so far, she has already ranked numero uno in ICC rankings and is the youngest Indian to top the charts.
Is there anything Shafali can’t do 😂😃pic.twitter.com/qy57LCz9Fz
— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 28, 2021
A by-product of her aggressive batting is the rate at which she strikes. In the world of women’s cricket, Verma has the highest strike rate of 146.24 for a minimum of 450 runs scored. So far, she has scored 487 runs at an average of 27.05 and has a couple of half-centuries.
Wishing a Very Happy 17th Birthday to @TheShafaliVerma 🎂
🏆 19 Intl Matches
🏆 487 runs & HS – 73 in T20Is
🏆 In Nov 2019 she became the youngest half-centurion for India in International Cricket
🏆 She was a part of India’s squad for the T20 World Cup 2020#HappyBirthday pic.twitter.com/MEvC6ypWHt— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) January 28, 2021
Last year, when India made it to the finals of Women’s World T20, Shafali had a major role to play. She was a vital cog in India’s batting wheel and she proved her worth as she went on to become the leading run-getter for India in the tournament. Verma scored 163 in five matches at a strike rate of 158.25, which was the highest in the competition.
Thank you for your wishes 🙏😊. It really means a lot and I do wish I could reply to each and every person who has taken time out to wish me on my birthday. A sincere thank you to you all for your wishes. 🙏🙏
— Shafali Verma (@TheShafaliVerma) January 28, 2021
Shafali’s aggression, confidence, grit, and ability to take on the best of the bowlers make her a player to watch out for in the long term.
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.
