Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Dec 24: India Women opener Shafali Verma underlined the importance of being prepared for every role in the team, revealing that all batters regularly bowl in the nets as part of head coach Amol Muzumdar’s philosophy of all-round readiness.
Shafali played a match-winning knock of 69 off just 34 balls as India defeated Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second T20I on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Speaking after the match, Shafali said the team is encouraged to be ready for any situation. “Amol sir always tells us that anyone can bowl and everyone should be ready. We all bowl in the nets and prepare for that. We are very keen to contribute in every way,” she said, adding that players like Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and herself regularly practice bowling.
“Cricket is a different game. You never know when the team will need you, so we all have to be ready,” the 21-year-old said.
Shafali’s unbeaten knock was her career-best WT20I score in India. It was her fifth half-century at home and 12th overall in the format. She now has 2,299 runs from 92 WT20Is at an average of 26.73 and a strike rate of 132.58.
Addressing concerns over India’s recent fielding lapses, Shafali said the team is working hard to improve, especially with the T20 World Cup scheduled next summer in the UK. “We know fielding is important. We missed some catches in the first match, but everyone is putting in the effort and trying to improve day by day,” she said.
Shafali also expressed happiness over young left-arm spinner Vaishnavi Sharma picking up her maiden international wicket in just her second game. “She is bowling really well and looks confident. We were all very happy for her,” she said.
Reflecting on the series so far, Shafali said the team has taken several positives from the first two matches. “We are putting in a lot of effort and improving with every game,” she added.
Explaining her approach during the chase of 129, Shafali said she initially focused on rotating the strike as the pitch was slow early on. “At the start, the ball was holding up, so I tried to take singles. Later, the ball started coming nicely on to the bat and was in my range,” she said.