WPL 2023: Shafali Verma, a star at 19, is here to break records

Shafali Verma, the Delhi Capitals opener, is a clean hitter of the ball.

Shafali Verma is a clean hitter of the ball. Still head, good hand and eye coordination and a sense of timing are the requisites. The Delhi Capitals opener ticks the boxes. She scored the fastest fifty (off 19 balls) by an Indian in the ongoing Women's Premier League on Saturday after Gujarat Giants' Sophia Dunkley smashed one in 18 balls against Royal Challengers Bangalore last week.

Verma, incidentally, achieved the milestone against the Giants, who benched Dunkley at the DY Patil Stadium to accommodate other internationals.

She is only 19, but is already a star. Her batting style reflects the new wave of Indian women's cricket — sixes galore. Harmanpreet Kaur was the torchbearer.

The swing of willow, straight bat shots and inside-out dance to spinners may remind one of Virender Sehwag, who would turn games in a blink of an eye. The flamboyancy is similar to the Capitals' male opener Prithvi Shaw in the Indian Premier League. And, of course, every Indian opener will have a bit of Sachin Tendulkar in their game.

Impact player

Chasing a low target of 106, Verma batted for only 34 minutes to remain unbeaten on 76 off 28 balls. The Capitals closed the game in 7.1 overs without losing a wicket. Meg Lanning (21 off 15) played the supporting act from the other end, whereas the Giants had limped to 105/9 in 20 overs.

Verma scored 23 runs through the covers with four fours and a six. Overall, the innings comprised five sixes and 10 fours. It was her second fifty of the WPL. The 45-ball 84 against Royal Challengers Bangalore, which involved a 162-run opening stand with Lanning, remains the best performance.

Verma of 2023 is a seasoned campaigner. She has learnt the hard way. The batter has played in T20 World Cups, won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games and secured victory in the recent Women's Under-19 World Cup. She has appeared at The Big Bash and The Hundred, too.

The right-hander thrives on being ruthless, a keyword in T20 cricket and doesn't like to waste time in the middle. "My fight is with myself. I don't need to prove anything to anyone. I have to prove it to myself. I try to score in every game," she told reporters after the maiden WPL 50 last week.

Quick learner

Australia legend Lanning advised Verma to play straight against the Capitals. "In the last game, I got out while playing the flick. So I tried to play straight. I want to thank Lanning for her advice. I want to work hard in future and play the same way," Verma told broadcasters after the match-winning knock.

Lanning, who had the best seat in the house, to witness the fireworks was all praise for the youngster. "I think the pitch was good. But Shafali took the wicket out of the equation. She backed her strengths and stayed nice, and still to hit straight. If you do that in these wickets, you will be successful.

"I loved watching her from the other end. It was a lot of fun out there, and hopefully, she can continue and be more confident from this innings, and know that keeping things simple is a great way to find the success that she wants," said Lanning, who is the captain of Australia, the six-time T20 World champion.

A different player post U-19 World Cup win

Verma made her international debut with the senior team in 2019. Though always a fearless batter, she was raw.

The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the frequency of games for women in India in 2020 and 2021. The girl from Rohtak suffered a slump in form in 2022, with only two fifties in 23 outings. She ended with 544 runs with an average of 23.65 and a strike rate of 125.63, lesser than her usual 130s. The Women's Under-19 World Cup win as captain bolstered her self-belief.

The WPL, where she is the second-highest in the most runs chart with 179 runs in four outings thus far, can provide the solution to the missing links in her game.