Shafali Verma: Striking it clean at sweet 16

On the night of the Women’s T20 World Cup final last Sunday, Shafali Verma learnt the true weight of expectations. Inconsolable, she sought support from team-mates after India missed another chance of clinching their maiden world title.

People close to Shafali could not believe teary-eyed pictures of the 16-year-old at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia. To them, she is a ‘strong girl’. “It showed the amount of burden she carried in the tournament,” points out Ashwani Kumar, Shafali’s long-time coach.

All eyes were on the Rohtak girl from the first game and she enjoyed a sensational run to the final of the World Cup, where India faltered to hosts Australia by 85 runs. “She is a strong-minded person,” Ashwani tells DH. “Girls of her age are starting to learn cricket while she has already played for India. The entire nation hoped for her to come good in the final and it’s natural for her to break down after not contributing in the all important match,” he says.

As she dominated bowlers with authority, commentators chose different ways to define Shafali’s game. “Exciting talent”, “highly gifted” and “very special” were some of the many positive observations. Ever since she made her India debut as a 15-year-old last year, Shafali has done enough to pique the interest of fans and pundits alike.

Shafali’s journey has common aspects of a girl’s struggles in a sport played predominantly by boys. Opting for a boyish haircut, competing with boys and proving her mettle against senior male cricketers, the right-handed batter was the ‘special one’ when she started playing at the age of 10 at the Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club headed by Ashwani in Rohtak.

The prodigy is a self-confessed Sachin Tendulkar fan but following her exploits at the World Cup, comparisons with Virender Sehwag have been inevitable. The Indian women’s team lacks the power-hitting seen in Australia, England and New Zealand. Save for captain Harmanpreet Kaur, there was nobody to comfortably clear the fence before Shafali joined the line-up.

While Smriti Mandhana believes in caressing the ball to the boundary, the rising Jemimah Rodrigues essays solid ground strokes. So, a player like Shafali brings the right balance. There is a story behind her rise as an attacking batter.

“Ajay Ratra (former India international) called me after Shafali’s camp at the National Cricket Academy last year asking me to give her extra attention to her,” recollects Ashwani. “He told me she could go places. At our academy, we formed a separate team for Shafali and worked on her strength and hitting. We designed physical training sessions where she would lift weights every day. We designed a fitness regime that was suitable for her age.

“On the batting front, she was asked to bat lengthy sessions against a bowling machine. She had to hit hard and straight against a particular pace,” explains the coach.

The result of her hard work was on full display at the World Cup as she consistently muscled the pacers and spinners over long on and long off from the crease to give India positive starts. An effort of 163 runs from five games made her the team’s top run-getter and fifth overall.

For someone who strikes at 146.24, chances of early dismissals cannot be ignored. Risk is a striking feature of such a style of play. Players with a one-dimensional game are easily exposed. The Australians planned to cramp her for room and succeeded in the final, dismissing her for two.

But Shafali, who has played 19 T20Is for 487 runs so far, is sure to learn with experience. Adding more variety into her batting, like blending singles and doubles with the boundaries will take her a long way, feels Ashwani.

With great success comes fame. Sport is replete with stories of gifted individuals with spluttered careers. Ashwani makes a valid point. “All those who start at 16 will not become the next Sachin Tendulkar. Glamour and money are inevitable if you are a star player. But it’s about keeping the fire burning inside you till you play the game. She is a down-to-earth girl who enjoys training with upcoming talents at the academy everytime after her international commitments,” he says.

She has fulfilled the failed dream of her father Sanjeev. In years to come, India would want Shafali to take her prodigious beginning to the next level.