Shafali has another World Cup in her crosshairs

Potchefstroom, January 30

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Not content with the Women’s U-19 T20 World Cup triumph, batting sensation Shafali Verma has already set her sights on replicating the success with the senior team next month.

She will get her chance when the Women’s T20 World Cup gets underway on February 10 in South Africa, the country in which the U-19 girls won the inaugural world tournament on Sunday.

Verma, 19, has already established herself in the senior side and wants to make the visit to South Africa even more memorable with more silverware.

“No, the big one also,” Shafali said when asked if the U-19 trophy was the only one she was hoping to take back from South Africa. “I am someone who focuses on task at hand. When I entered the under-19s, I only focused on winning the U-19 Cup and we have won it. I will look to take this winning confidence with me and win the senior World Cup. I will try and forget this and get involved with the senior set-up and gel with the team and win the World Cup,” she said.

India won their maiden ICC title in women’s cricket in style on Sunday by registering a seven-wicket victory over England. They first bundled out England for 68 in 17.1 overs and then chased down the paltry target in 14 overs.

In doing so, the Verma-led India managed to do what their seniors have not been able to do so far — win a World Cup.

Verma was part of the senior Indian team that fell at the final hurdle of the 2020 T20 World Cup, when Australia defeated them by 85 runs in front of more than 85,000 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. That memory lingers in Verma’s head. “Melbourne was a very emotional day for me in that final game… We didn’t win the game,” she recalled. “I will look at this (U-19 crown) as a big achievement and look to use this to learn something more. I will try to score more runs for India and am not going to be satisfied with this cup. This is just the beginning.”