Visakhapatnam, 24 December (H.S.): Indian women's cricket team's opener Shefali Verma emphasized on Wednesday that cricket perpetually imparts invaluable lessons, underscoring the critical necessity of acknowledging one's weaknesses to foster improvement as a player.
Speaking after India's commanding seven-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in the second T20 International match played in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, Shefali attributed her match-winning unbeaten 69 off 34 balls – earning her the Player of the Match award – to a deliberate recognition and rectification of batting flaws, alongside a resurgence in confidence.
Cricket always teaches you something or the other, Shefali remarked post-match. Acknowledging your weaknesses is absolutely essential; only then can you effect improvements. Initially, the ball was gripping the surface slightly, so I focused on playing along the ground and rotating the strike with singles. The bowlers bowled well in the early overs, but conditions eventually tilted in our favor.
She expressed gratitude to head coach Amol Muzumdar for specialized guidance on navigating challenging scenarios. The coach advised me to play grounded shots first and then go aerial when opportunities arose, she explained.
I stayed composed, stuck to ground play, and accelerated once the ball came on nicely. I am confident that if I play along the ground, runs will flow.
Notably, Shefali had staged a comeback to the team for the ODI World Cup semi-final and final in place of the injured Prathika Raval, where she smashed a half-century and claimed two wickets against South Africa in the final.In the match, India won the toss and opted to field first. Sri Lanka captain Chamari Athapaththu mounted an aggressive powerplay assault, exerting pressure on the Indian bowlers.
However, the tide turned with Sneha Rana's introduction; deputizing for the unwell Deepti Sharma, Rana conceded just 11 runs in her four overs while dismissing Athapaththu, effectively curbing Sri Lanka's momentum.
Athapaththu's dismissal precipitated a Sri Lankan collapse. Harshita Samarawickrama fought valiantly but lacked support from the other end. Indian spinners maintained relentless pressure: Vaishnavi Sharma snared crucial wickets, while Shree Charani recovered from a poor first match to claim two scalps. Three run-outs further compounded Sri Lanka's woes, bundling them out for a modest total.
Chasing the target, India lost Smriti Mandhana early for 16, but Shefali assumed command, dominating both spin and pace with aggressive strokeplay. Inoka Ranveer and Shashini Gimhani fell to her onslaught, while she plundered Chamari Athapaththu for 4, 6, and 4 in a single over. Jemimah Rodrigues provided brisk support with quick runs, enabling India to seal the victory in the 12th over.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
