India’s teen sensation Shafali Verma has made a name in world cricket following her exploits in the T20 format as well as the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia last year. Now, she is all set to make her Test and ODI debut for India on the upcoming multi-format tour of England.
As she is gearing up for the maiden one-off Test and ODI series against England in June 2021, the 17-year-old is ready to face the challenges of English conditions and wants to learn the art of leaving good deliveries in the upcoming multi-format tour.
The explosive right-hander wants to use her maiden Test and ODI call-ups to improve her decision-making skills around playing and maximizing the length of her innings in England.
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Shafali told ESPNcricinfo: “[India] 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.”
The youngster further added, “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.”
Shafali, who has played 22 matches in the shortest format of the game, is aiming to score good runs for the Indian women's cricket team on the upcoming England tour next month.
She signed off by saying, “Whenever I get a chance [call-up] like this, I lookout 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.”
India Women’s tour of England will kick start with a four-day Test match from June 16 in Bristol followed by a three-match ODI series beginning June 27 at Bristol, the second ODI at Taunton on June 30, and final on July 3 at Worcester, followed by the three T20Is on July 9, 11 and 5 at Northampton, Hove, and Chelmsford respectively.
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India's Senior Women squad for Test & ODI: Mithali Raj (Captain), Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Punam Raut, Priya Punia, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav.
India's Senior Women squad for T20I: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain) Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Richa Ghosh, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Indrani Roy (wicket-keeper), Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Radha Yadav, Simaran Dil Bahadur.
(With ESPNcricinfo Inputs)
