Shafali Verma blasted 96 on Test debut against England in Bristol and it showed yet again as to why she is considered one of the best in the business for India.
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When one looks at Shafali Verma batting in cricket, one remembers Virender Sehwag. The audacity, aggression and the simple philosophy of ‘see ball, hit ball’ is etched in the batting blueprint for Shafali. In the one-off Test in Bristol, one shot summed up the brilliance of Shafali Verma. Natalie Sciver, one of the more experienced England bowlers who have had tremendous experience, bowled a full delivery from wide of the crease. Shafali, rooted to the crease, just lifted the ball and it sailed over long-off for a glorious six.
It was Shafali Verma’s first six in Test cricket. When she got out for 96, there was a hint of Sehwag in that. In the 2003 Melbourne Test, Sehwag smashed a full toss on 195 to hole out to deep midwicket. Shafali Verma also went for the lofted shot but she miscued it totally and long-off took the catch. In both instances, both Sehwag and Shafali Verma went for glory in the only way that they deemed possible.
When the day ended, India had lost four wickets for 16 runs. Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana’s 167 run stand had given India a tremendous launchpad but they collapsed. After the match, Shafali Verma highlighted the key factor that had made her an ultimate six-hitting player.
In that, she mentioned that she faced tremendous competition from the boys. Her father offered her monetary benefits if she could better the boys in six-hitting. Her statement is an indication of the background from where she comes from. Shafali Verma was born in Rohtak, Haryana. A state where girls are still considered inferior to boys. In that patriarchal state, women and girls have a massive fight to prove themselves on a daily basis. There is always a competition for the women to prove themselves, not the men. The situation in Haryana might have improved immensely now. Shafali Verma is the ultimate symbol of the girl power from a state that has often produced sports stars who have excelled in Olympics.
The ‘see ball hit ball’ adage by Virender Sehwag has been latched on to many people who have an aggressive batting style. She got going with a streaky edge past gully for a boundary. Shafali Verma unveiled her T20 style playing by guiding some deliveries past gully. The bottom-handed punch from Shafali Verma gave everyone a hint of Sehwag in everyone.
In between, there was a slog fest which would have made purists cringe. But, Shafali Verma was playing the game according to her terms. The aggression and the sureness of her strokes made her a delight to watch. The way how she unveiled the lofted shot with nonchalance summed up a high level of confidence unseen from a 17-year-old.
The glides, the punches, the agricultural slogs and the aggression factor all made Shafali Verma a delight for people to watch from their TVs and mobiles.
At the age of 17, Shafali Verma has already opened up exciting horizons for the women cricketers in the country. Her aggression has laid the groundwork for young cricketers to dream big. She is one of the select few in the world who has hit more sixes than the number of games that she has played. In 2020, she already scaled the summit of the Twenty20 rankings.
It is Shafali Verma’s aggression that has helped her conquer the odds. There is genuine fear in the hearts of the opponents when Shafali bats. The Haryana girl can clear the boundaries effortlessly. Her aggression is rubbing off on the likes of Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur. Harmanpreet had laid the earlier foundation of big-hitting when she started out in international cricket.
Shafali Verma is only building upon the foundation laid by Harmanpreet. It must be noted that the power quotient in Indian cricket only came to the forefront when Harmanpreet hit 171 against Australia in the 2017 World Cup. After following it up with a century in 2018 against New Zealand, Harmanpreet has given inspiration to some of the Indian cricketers to hit big. Shafali is one such cricketer in the pipeline.
India may have squandered a winning position in Bristol, but it cannot take away the fact that a new star’s reputation was cemented on Thursday. Shafali and her aggressive style might be the new blueprint for Indian cricket in the coming years. Take into account her age of 17 and the possibilities are endless.
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