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Skipper Kaur hopes Shafali to come good in Asia Cup
The 18-year-old hasn’t scored a T20I half-century for 18 T20I innings, although she does have some quick 30s and 40s in this time span.
India cricketer Shafali Verma had announced her arrival on the international cricket scene with a bang a few years ago. As a teenager, Verma, who hails from Rohtak in Haryana, was able to make an impact with her power-hitting abilities against top global teams. It was not only the T20 format but also the ODIs and Test cricket on which she later stamped her authority.
Enamoured by Verma’s stroke-making style, bowlers all over the world felt a bit uncomfortable having her on strike. In Verma and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana, India found a successful opening pair. Known to hit the ball at first sight, Verma has not been in red-hot form lately. She ended the recent England tour without a half-century across formats (ODI and T20). In fact, in six innings, she was dismissed in the single digits four times and struggled with her footwork. The 18-year-old hasn’t scored a T20I half-century for 18 T20I innings, although she does have some quick 30s and 40s in this time span.
With the longest-ever Asia Cup on the cards, Verma would be hoping to turn the tables. Showing faith in Verma’s batting talent, captain Harmanpreet Kaur backed the youngster and felt that Asia Cup could provide the ideal game time to the teenager to find form.
“From the practice sessions we have had, I can say she is doing really well. It is part of life, sometimes you play well, sometimes you can't continue your good form. But she is looking good and it is just a matter of spending some time in the middle for her to get out of her rough patch. She is working hard every day,” the skipper said.
India also have other successful openers in the line-up, such as S Meghana and Kiran Navgire. Also, Verma has consciously tried to change her batting style and become watchful. “This is a platform where you can express yourself and play free cricket. We will try to give her enough match time so that she can get her confidence back,” added Kaur, who is in great form since she took over the captaincy in all formats.
In the last Asia Cup held in 2018, India lost to Bangladesh in the final. The 2020 edition of the event in Bangladesh was first postponed to 2021 due to Covid-19 before being cancelled.
Hosts and defending champions Bangladesh will kick off the event against Thailand on October 1, with India taking on Sri Lanka in the second match of the day in Sylhet. India take on Pakistan women on October 7
Also, fit-again Jemimah Rodrigues returns to the side after missing the tour of England due to a hand injury. Wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, who made a comeback in England after being dropped from the Commonwealth Games, will also be in the spotlight.
Captain Kaur is not just keen on providing much-needed match time to Verma but also to others. “Our first target will be to give enough chances to other players who have not got opportunities so far. There are a lot of areas where we want to work on as a team, especially how we are going to use the first six overs while batting. Also, we will try to shuffle our middle order so that others can also get some time. In the last overs also, we have some hard hitters, so if we can give them enough chances. In our bowling, we will try different combinations. This tournament is important for us; it's a great platform where players who haven't got chances can come and perform. If they perform here, they can get a lot of confidence going into the World Cup,” she said.
The Asia Cup would be the best time for India to carry their winning momentum. The seven-nation event comprises India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, and UAE apart from the hosts Bangladesh.
