India’s teen batting sensation Shafali Verma on Thursday (June 17) admitted that she would "always regret" missing the hundred against England Women in the ongoing Test match in Bristol.
See Also: Cricket fraternity lauds Shafali Verma as she slams 96 on Test debut in Bristol
Featuring in her maiden red-ball match, Shafali provided the visitors with a brilliant start as she added 167 runs for the opening wicket with Smriti Mandhana (78). In particular, Shafali dominated the partnership, completing her fifty in 83 deliveries.
The 17-year-old continued her brilliance after the half-century and was looking set for a hundred, but she lost her concentration in the 49th over and mistimed a Kate Cross delivery to deep mid-off while being on 96. Her 152-ball knock was studded with 13 fours and 2 sixes.
"It's always natural to feel bad to miss out on a hundred (on debut). I will always regret it, but this innings will give me a lot of confidence in the coming matches. I hope to convert it to a hundred the next time," Shafali said in the virtual media conference after stumps on Day 2.
During her knock, Verma broke the record of Chanderkanta Kaul, who had scored 75 on her Test debut against New Zealand at Nelson in 1995.
"Whenever I go to play in a big match or series, I always stay confident, I never count my age. I just think about how to support my team and contribute in the best possible way," she said.
Reflecting on her partnership with Mandhana, Shafali said: "We always back each other and understand each other. She always lends great support to me and guides me, it helps me a lot."
"We just played our natural game, hit the loose deliveries and kept on supporting each other. It's about holding on to the crease," she added.
Shafali Verma, who holds the No. 1 rankings in ICC Women’s T20I batting rankings, curbed her natural instincts against the English new ball bowlers Katherine Brunt and Shrubsole.
"The strategy was to spend some time in the middle. Initially we got a few loose deliveries including some full toss ones.
"We could not convert them into boundaries as the focus was to play straight and stay on so we were laughing about it. It felt good to build this innings, showed respect to the bowlers."
Talking about her preparation leading up to this Test match, she said: "I always learn from every series. Like for this debut Test, I worked on choosing the right ball as well as on fitness. It feels very good to contribute to the team."
Shafali also thanked the senior members of the team after a memorable outing on Test debut.
"Seniors always back me up and don't put any pressure on me. It helped me play with a free mind and do well. They just asked me to play my natural game and that helped me in scoring this. From this series, I've learned to be patient. It's very important to be patient as a batter. Also, I have learnt how important fitness is in these two days."
England fought back strongly with five wickets in the final hour after a big opening partnership for India. The likes of Punam Raut (2), Shikha Pandey (0) and Mithali Raj (2) were dismissed cheaply as the tourists finished the second day on 187/5 in reply to England’s first innings total of 396/9 (declared).
(With PTI inputs)
