The explosive India opener, Shafali Verma, who is reminded of the men’s team while competing against the stars from Down Under, says that the joy of slamming an Australian for a boundary is unmatched, and that she enjoys hitting the ball out of the park just as much as she enjoys slamming an Australian for a boundary.
Shafali, who made her debut for India when she was just 15 years old and is now considered a prodigy, has gone a long way and, together with the beautiful Smriti Mandhana, forms one of the most explosive opening pairs in women’s cricket.
The big-hitting Shafali, who has five fifties in WT20Is, finally achieved her first half-century earlier this week against Australia when she smashed a 41-ball 52. Prior to this success, Shafali had previously failed a couple of times in her attempts to reach this milestone. Her knock was adorned with three sixes and six boundaries in total.
“I enjoy competing against Australia very much. Shafali mentioned this on the eve of the fourth Twenty20 International that they were playing against Australia. “It feels like you are playing against guys,” Shafali added.
“When I hit a four (against an Australian), I get encouraged, and I feel that I’ve developed as a player because Australia is the finest team (in women’s cricket),” she said. “When I hit a six (against an Australian), I get boosted, and I feel that I’ve improved as a player When I hit boundaries off the Australian bowlers, I always feel a sense of satisfaction.
She continued by saying, “When I hit boundaries against England or any other team, I don’t get as much enjoyment as I used to.”
Shafali is aware that her team cannot afford to make any mistakes because the Australians are eager to capitalise on even the smallest of errors, and India is currently trailing 1-2 in the five-match series. In order for India to stay in the series, they will need to eke out a victory in the fourth Twenty20 match.
“When I play against Australia, it feels like I’m playing against men because of the way their game is, since their game is like that. ” They will take advantage of even the smallest mistake you make since they can see it coming from a mile away. Therefore, we need to be at the top of our game in order to compete against them,” Shafali remarked.
“There is no room for error when competing against them. It is imperative that you play your finest shots, ones in which you have full faith. While competing against Australia, I picked quite a lot of useful information. In the match before this one, India was defeated by a score of 21 runs.
Shafali and Harmanpreet Kaur had kept India in the competition up until the point where the necessary run rate climbed. However, the 18-year-old, who was hoping to smash some huge blows, ended up losing her wicket as the required run rate increased.
“Despite the fact that we were playing exceptionally well, we were forced to take some chances due to the circumstances. We were trailing by thirty runs, and the circumstances required us to go for shots whenever there was a loose ball on the field.
She stated, “That shot often goes for six, but on that day, sadly, I lost my wicket.” “That shot usually goes for six.”
The first two matches were played in the DY Patil Stadium, while the third game was hosted at the Brabourne Stadium, which will also host the last two matches. The DY Patil Stadium is also where the final two matches will be played.
At the DY Patil Stadium, India had just pulled off an incredible victory in the Super Over.
But the batters at home have also had trouble rotating strike, resulting in a high number of dot balls being consumed throughout the series.
There is no comparison between this wicket and the one at the DY Patil Stadium. On this wicket, bowlers are getting good swing, but we really can’t make any excuses for our performance.
“Under the direction of the batting instructor, we are currently focusing on the singles. “We are getting better one day at a time,” she remarked.
The Indian bowlers have also been having trouble scoring runs, but Shafali reported that the team is working hard and “bowling on single stump” to improve their performance.
The opener continued by saying that her “shot selection” is something that batting coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar has encouraged her to concentrate on.