An integral part of India women’s setup across formats, Shafali Verma is keen to work on strike rotation to build longer innings while also working on her bowling.
Verma has been one of India’s most exciting women cricketers ever since her international debut as a 15-year-old in September 2019. A few months later, she was a key part of the team’s run to the final in the women’s T20 World Cup 2022, wherein the hosts emerged victorious.
The free-flowing stroke-play is the hallmark of Shafali’s batting, and has fetched her results across formats, with the right-hander having scored three fifties from four Test innings, including a highest of 96 in Bristol last year.
Having put on a record 174-run unbeaten stand with Smriti Mandhana in the second ODI against Sri Lanka on July 4, she now looks to improve on her strike rotation abilities to play more of such long innings.
“I think in ODIs, we need to concentrate more on taking singles and I am working on that. I watched some of my matches and found that I lack in [taking] singles.”
I felt that I should work more on rotating the strike and have done that. I did that in T20Is [against Sri Lanka] – taking singles of good balls. I was looking to play longer innings,”
Shafali said ahead of the final ODI against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, per ESPNcricinfo.
Predominantly an opener, Shafali was moved to the middle-order during her maiden women’s Big Bash League stint last year after a poor start to the campaign, which helped her improve on the aspect of strike rotation.
“I learnt a lot from batting in the middle order in WBBL. I learnt that you can take singles, and single-doubles can then lead to a lot of boundaries.”
Shafali also looks forward to improving on her part-time off-breaks to add another dimension to her game.
“In this domestic season, I got a chance to bowl and got a lot of confidence. During our match simulation [with the national side] I bowled well and Harry [Harmanpreet Kaur] di supported me and told me to work more on my bowling. So I have been practising single-wicket bowling in the nets.”
