ICC WT20 World Cup | Shafali played every shot at least 50 times a day, reveals Ashwani Kumar

03/07/2020

India opener Shafali Verma’s coach Ashwani Kumar says that she was made to practise every shot at least 50 times-a-day. Verma dancing down the track to hit back over the bowler's head may look ridiculously effortless but it is the result of extreme hard work she has put every day to perfect it.

Shafali Verma's explosive batting has powered India to their maiden final in Twenty20 cricket's biggest tournament despite the prolonged run droughts of fellow opener Smriti Mandhana and skipper Harmanpreet Kaur. The 16-year-old has scored at a strike rate of 161 - the highest by any frontline batswoman in the competition - and her nine sixes are also the most by anyone in this year's tournament. Shafali’s coach Ashwani Kumar said she played every shot at least 50 times-a-day.

"We made her play every shot, including that, at least 50-times-a-day. This is how you build muscle memory. Obviously she was a natural striker of the ball. We didn't overhaul her style, we just polished it." said Ashwini Kumar, reported Times Of India.

Verma is currently the top-ranked Twenty20 batswoman, a remarkable rise for the daughter of a goldsmith who had to cut her hair and masquerade as a boy to get enough practice early in her career. Kumar added that Verma had to be promoted to practice with senior girls soon after she joined his academy because she was a hard hitter from the very beginning.

"She was barely 12 when she enrolled but within months she started striking the ball so hard that we started fearing for the safety of other girls in that group. So we put her in the senior group and she then started practising with the boys." said Kumar.

India is all set to take on the defending champions Australia in the final of the ICC Women's World Cup 2020 in Melbourne on Sunday, March 8. As for his advice to Verma ahead of Sunday's final against defending champions Australia, Kumar said he did not want to clutter her mind.

"I just wished her well and asked her to follow whatever her captain and coach tell her." expressed Kumar.