The wonder girl Shafali Verma has baffled the crowd with her fearless style of hitting. Her impressive performance in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup which is just halfway through has already earned her with two-player of the match awards.
Team India, with her stunning contribution and team efforts, has become the first team to enter the semi-finals of the tournament.
Verma’s capabilities have been compared to former India’s men’s team opener Virender Sehwag. It is so because of the fact that even Sehwag is known for his mindblowing starts.
Former India women captain and member of the erstwhile Committee of Administrators (CoA) Diana Edulji feels that Shafali has the ability to naturally play in a manner that attracts more crowd to a women’s game.
“Shafali Verma is a player who will bring crowds to watch a women’s game. It’s not good to compare but one player who I’m reminded of in terms of the aura is Virender Sehwag,” Edulji was quoted by The Indian Express.
The 16-year-old Shafali has scored 39 off 17, 29 of 15 and 46 of 34 in the first three matches, an approach Edulji feels has brought a freshness to women’s cricket.
“Shafali’s attacking approach brings freshness to women’s cricket,” she said. Share on X
“Growing up, we never had the liberty or skills for such an attacking style of play. And yes, those days we never played T20 cricket, only the 90-over game. There is no doubt that Shafali is the sole reason for India’s wins, as far as batting is concerned. I don’t remember the Indian team ever having such great starts earlier.”
Edulji who played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs between 1976 and 1993, with her experienced eyes can see that Shafali has more to her and can manage to stay on the crease longer than what has been the case so far, leaving more impact with her potential.
“The more she stays at the crease, the more the bowlers fear her. Such players decided the course of the game. But someone needs to tell her that post 30-40, she should try to bat for another four or five overs because if she stays long, she can single-handedly take the game away,” she said.
Appreciating the young talent further she said, “She (Shafali) has all the qualities to become one of the most lethal batters women’s cricket has seen in the shorter formats.”
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