INDW v SAW 2021: Shafali Verma says ODI omission motivates her to keep improving her game

Shafali Verma is the no.1 ranked T20I batter in women's rankings.

India women’s swashbuckling T20I opener Shafali Verma is not disappointed about her omission from the ODI setup of the team and instead looks at it as motivation to make herself better as she feels there is "something" lacking in her game.

The 17-year-old was adjudged player of the series in the 1-2 T20I loss to South Africa in a series that ended on Tuesday. Her 30-ball 60 in the final match was helpful in giving India a solace win.

Shafali Verma, who is the no.1 batter in Women’s T20I rankings, talked about her omission from the ODI setup.

INDW v SAW 2021: "I just try to do well and win matches for the team," says Shafali Verma

"When I wasn't picked for the one-dayers, I felt somewhere I might be lacking something. But I did not go ask the captain or the coach, because I knew deep down that if my name was not there, it is probably because I only lack something,” Verma said in an online press conference after the match.

The Haryana-born Shafali says that she is driven to become a better player every time she is left out of ODIs.

“I need to work more on my fitness, and one-dayers would be my goal, whenever I get that chance. Not getting named in the one-day squad is a motivation for me to play even better. I wasn't overly disappointed but I saw it as a huge motivating factor. I motivated myself to work even harder and play better," she said.

Shafali Verma regains top spot in ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings

Talking about her approach to batting in limited-overs, Shafali says she keeps it simple and adopts the see-ball-hit-ball mantra, which has worked tremendously well for her and she said aggression is a natural aspect of her batting.

"I always practice (power-hitting) and work hard on my batting. Ever since I started holding a bat, I have loved to play attackingly. That's how it works for me. The focus would be on spending as much time on the wicket as possible and score as many runs as I can, if I make it in ODI team,” Shafali said.

On the number one spot in the ICC T20I rankings, she simply said, "I just try to do well and win matches for my team."

(PTI inputs)