Two seasons old in international cricket, 17-year-old Shafali Verma is fully aware of the need to continuously improve and her immediate focus is to turn her short ball game against the fast bowlers.
Having made her India debut as a prodigious talent of 15 years, Shafali has come a long way in the last 24 months and, along with the elegant Smriti Mandhana, is one of the most explosive opening pairs in women’s cricket.
He has played a few Tests, six ODIs and 28 T20 Internationals since making his debut in the shortest format in September 2019, which is enough to work in his game for top teams like Australia and England.
On tours of England and Australia this year, Shafali faced shorter deliveries and didn’t look particularly comfortable against them.
To get better against the rising ball, Shafali has to face 200-250 balls of under-25 men’s players, which are 125-130 kmph under the watchful eye of her coach Ashwini Kumar at the Sri Ram Narayan Cricket Academy in Gurugram. Can run at an hour’s speed.
“It feels good that I am able to complete two years in international cricket but there is a long way to go. I know the areas of my game in which I need to get better and one of them is playing short ball.”
“The coaches have also told me to play according to the ball and I will continue to do so. I will never change my game,” said the teenager, who made her homecoming debut in the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia.
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During the England and Australia series, Shafali was seen running back from short deliveries and this approach gave her mixed returns. The academy coaches are asking him to play short ball on cemented, astroturf and normal wickets.
Apart from interacting with U-25 men cricketers at high speed, Shafali is also facing throwdowns covering all bases.
“I will not go back that much going forward. You will see me shuffling a lot around the crease and playing according to the ability of the ball,” said Shafali, who is also working hard on her fitness.
Having little experience of playing red ball cricket, Shafali also looked home when she made her Test debut against England in June.
He scored a memorable 96 in the first innings, an innings that will always be special to him.
With three fifty-plus scores in four innings, he has made a dream debut in the five-day format. However, the same cannot be said about the six ODIs played this year and the T20s in Australia and England also lacked consistency.
Her coach Ashwini Kumar feels that Shafali will only get better with time and experience.
“We must not forget that she is still 17. Her dream Test debut shows that she has the technology needed to succeed at the highest level.
“In the shorter formats, where there is scoreboard pressure, you need to be really quick with your thinking and that is where it needs to improve a bit. As she plays for India, you will see that she is getting better.”
Talking about two years in international cricket, Shafali feels that she has learned something new with every game and is most grateful to have played Test cricket.
“In Test cricket, I learned a lot more than I ever imagined, especially patience. It is the best format and it was like a dream come true for me.
“I loved my first Test innings (96), I really enjoyed it there and played a lot better than I thought. That innings will always be special.”
Most of the players in the Test team, including Shafali, had little experience with the red ball as multi-day cricket is not a part of the domestic set-up.
On the upcoming World Cup in New Zealand, his plans are simple.
“I just want to stay fit and work hard on my game and help India win. I hope to inspire more girls to play the game. Two seasons in international cricket have been very good for me. My approach is to learn something new and improve from every game.”
He also praised his senior partner Smriti Mandhana a lot.
“She is always supporting me on and off the field, tells me to play my natural game and whenever I am struggling in the middle, she always helps me to fix my flaws.
“…if I’m struggling against a particular bowler, she’ll tell me ‘Take a single and give me the strike’. It’s great that I have a batting partner like her.”
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