“If a player like this can find consistency, the team will hit the jackpot because these players are x-factors for any team.” Former Indian cricketer Reema Malhotra speaks highly about Shafali Verma.
The runner-up of the inaugural edition Delhi Capitals led by skipper Meg Lanning got off to a poor start, losing their tournament opener by four wickets against the defending champions Mumbai Indians. However, they bounced back with back-to-back victories in their next couple of games against UP Warriorz and RCB.
The 20-year-old opening batter Shafali Verma played a crucial role for the Delhi Capitals in both their victories this season by providing a solid start for her side alongside skipper Meg Lanning in the powerplay. “She now plays with a stable base and it can be seen through her bat. We’re also seeing her consistency. If a player like this can find consistency, the team will hit the jackpot because these players are x-factors for any team.” Former Indian women’s cricketer Reema Malhotra speaks about the 20-year-old opening batter’s potential of being a match-winner for her side.
Shafali Verma was the 2nd highest run-scorer for Delhi Capitals in the inaugural edition of the tournament with 252 runs to her name at a strike rate of 185.29 in 9 innings. Her tally of runs included just a couple of half-centuries. Her best performance with the bat came against RCB when she scored 84 runs at a strike rate of 186.66 on 5th March 2023. She failed to convert her starts into a match-winning knock in the inaugural edition of the WPL.
She started the 2nd edition of the WPL on a poor note (1 off 8 balls) against Mumbai Indians. However, she bounced back with a couple of half-centuries on the bounce against UP Warriorz (64 off 43 balls) and (50 off 31 balls) against RCB. She now holds the record for the most number of sixes (19 in 12 innings) in the history of the Women’s Premier League so far. “ I want to convert a 30 or 40-run score into a 50 for the team and for myself. The main change is a slight adjustment in my mindset and I want to take this forward.” Shafali Verma speaks about a slight adjustment in mindset in order to convert her starts into match-winning innings.
The Delhi Capitals will now come up against Gujarat Giants on 3rd March 2024 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore from 7:30 PM IST.
(Quotes sourced from The Quint)