In the ongoing South Africa tour of India, a multi-format series from June 16 to July 9, India has already swept the One Day Internationals series 3-0. In the one-off Test, India is comfortably positioned, declaring at 603/6 thanks to the exceptional batting performance. Among the Indian batters, one distinct inning that stands out is by 20-year-old Shafali Verma.
Renowned for her aggressive batting style, she set a new record in women’s cricket by scoring the fastest double century. She also became the second youngest player to score a Test double-hundred and the second Indian to achieve this feat after Mithali Raj. Verma is just behind Raj in the highest score by an Indian in Test cricket. She also set the record for the most sixes (8) in a Test innings and became the first woman cricketer to score over 200 runs at more than a run-a-ball rate in a Test innings. Additionally, she became the youngest Indian to reach 500 Test runs.
Following Shafali Verma’s remarkable performance, her father Sanjeev Verma spoke to the news agency IANS, reflecting on her achievements with immense pride. He expressed gratitude for the accomplishments of his daughter at the Shri Ram Narain Cricket Academy and credited the academy’s coaches, including Arinudh Sir, Ranbir Mahendra Babu ji, Ashwani Sir, and Aman Sir, for their dedicated work in shaping Shafali’s skills.
Mr. Sanjeev expressed gratitude saying, “This is Shri Ram Narayan Cricket Academy and they have done a lot of work on Shafali. Our Arinudh Sir, Ranbir Mahendra Babu ji, Ashwani Sir, Aman Sir, and all the staff have done a lot of work, and it feels very good that the record has been broken today.”
Reflecting on her record-breaking innings, he highlighted Shafali’s disciplined shot selection and fearless approach, emphasizing their discussion about playing without fear and capitalizing on opportunities. He mentioned a conversation they had the previous day, where he advised her to play without fear and to take the shots she felt confident in. This guidance seemed to have had a positive impact, as Shafali played her best game according to his advice.
He mentioned, “I think she has improved. See the innings she has played today; she did not take even one wrong shot which is the biggest thing.”
Sanjeev Verma also acknowledged the significance of records in cricket and speculated optimistically that Shafali might surpass her own milestone of 205 runs in the future. He expressed pride and optimism about his daughter’s achievements, emphasizing that ‘records are made to be broken.’
He shared his initial hope for her to score a hundred but acknowledged the divine blessing in her exceptional performance. Sanjeev highlighted the significance of this achievement and the pride it brings, noting the recognition they receive everywhere they go, which makes him feel good about being known as Shafali’s father.
“Records are made to be broken, and perhaps Shafali might break her own record. If 205 is made, then she might cover 205 as well. We were hoping for a hundred, but it is God’s gift that it has been made today.”
Meanwhile, in the post-match interview, Shafali was asked if she was aware while batting that she was close to breaking Mithali Raj’s 214 record for the highest test score by an Indian batter, she responded humorously stating that had she known about the record, she would have aimed to surpass it.