Shafali Verma will work things out as she goes along, feels WV Raman
Indian women's team head coach WV Raman has stated that Shafali Verma needs to be left alone and be guided by her family as she will learn things on a go. The former India opener has also added that he is trying to build a team that will continue playing for at least 6-8 years in T20Is.
India might have lost the women's T20 World Cup final to Australia fair and square but the tournament itself unearthed a gem like Shafali Verma who was unaware of the pressure that the big stage brings to an individual. She rode her luck to glory in almost every match, sans the final, and made people compare her to the inimitable Virender Sehwag for the way she played. But coach WV Raman, who not only acted as a catalyst of successful T20 transformation of the team but also added a sense of belongingness, is not a fan of the comparison rather he wants her to work things out as she goes along.
"She is still a child. People may have good intentions when they say a lot of things in her interest, but that is all futile. For now, we must let her be. What is also important for her at this juncture is that she needs to be guided properly by her family. On the field, I think it is best if she is left alone. She'll work things out as she goes along. She does work on her cricket and she is very intelligent as well," Raman told ToI.
When it comes to method, very few come close to following it as rigorously as Raman. Not only did the Tamil Nadu giant, who represented India in 11 Tests and 27 ODIs in the late 1980s and 90s, brought a sense of his method wherever he worked but also set up a new pathway for U-19 cricketers during his time at the National Cricket Academy. His appointment was perceived as the best thing to have happened to the Indian women’s team and Raman lived up to the promise in quite some fashion.
"T20 wasn't a format in which we were consistent. So, youngsters coming in and doing what they did was tremendous. I'm trying to create a team which will play together for 6-8 years and dominate world cricket. That's what sets the Australian team apart. As a team, they have played quite a few finals together and that's the reason why they dominated the World Cup.
"If we are talking of a tournament on the same scale as the men's, which means eight teams in the fray, I think we need time to give the concept shape. We have to take it slow and steady. We are looking for exposure tours for the U-19, U-23 and India 'A' teams only now. With the U-19 World Cup scheduled next year, we will have a lot more talent coming in. So, in 3-4 years it will be ideal to start a full-fledged IPL for women," the 54-year-old added.