IND W vs ENG W | Looking forward to prove myself, states Shafali VermaÂ
Indian women cricket's young sensation Shafali Verma is all geared up for the England tour and is looking forward to prove herself in all formats of the game. She also talked about choosing the right balls to play as the hard-hitting batter wants to learn as much as possible from the one-off Test.
After being sensationally overlooked from the Indian women's side for the 50-overs leg of the South Africa series with the team crashing badly, Shafali Verma's inclusion in the side across formats for England was inevitable. And it wasn't much of a surprise when she was picked across formats for the seven-match tour of the UK, including maiden call-ups in ODIs and Tests respectively.
She has been a star performer for India in T20 internationals as she averages 29.38 but what stands out is her remarkable strike-rate of 148.31 and her ability to win games of cricket, which she would want to replicate in the other formats of the game as well.Â
The 17-year-old is all excited to represent India in different formats of the game and revealed that she looks at it as an opportunity to prove herself to the world.Â
"Whenever I get a chance [call-up] like this, I look out for opportunities to play matches so that I am able to prove myself and my style of play and go on to build a good career for myself. Everyone feels good after getting their maiden call-ups, and I felt good, too. My goal [in the upcoming tour of England] would be to make sure I score well for my team," Shafali told ESPN Cricinfo.Â
The England tour will also mark India's return to the Test fold as the women's side will play their first Test since 2014. Verma is keenly looking forward to learning from the longer version of the game and talked about the importance of good shot-selection, something thatâs always in question with aggressive players like her.Â
" Women are getting to play their first Test in seven years. I have been given the chance [to be part of the Test squad], so my aim would be to learn from that Test match as much as I can about choosing the right balls to play, staying on in the middle as long as possible.
"All formats - ODIs, T20Is, and Tests - have different experiences and lessons to offer, so I would be looking forward to learning from both the ODI and Test formats," she said.
The England tour will start with a one-off Test from June 16. It also comprises three ODIs that begin from June 27 and will conclude with a three-match T20I series, beginning July 9.