Shafali making a strong case for India recall after 197 for Haryana takes her side to the semifinals of the senior Women’s ODI trophy.
Shafali Verma is once again putting the selectors on notice after a trailblazing 197 leads Haryana to the Women’s ODI trophy semis.
She had begun the tournament with a 98-ball 139 against Uttar Pradesh, and this was her second century in the current season. Shafali has topped the run charts with 527 runs in seven innings thus far.
Shafali’s impressive run of form coincides with her exclusion from India’s white-ball teams. After scoring just 108 runs at an average of 18 in six ODIs this year, she was left off the 50-overs roster for the trip of Australia. Shafali was left out of the squad for the ODIs against the West Indies as well, despite having a solid start to the women’s one-day tournament.
India has had trouble finding a reliable opening partner for Smriti Mandhana while she is away. They tried Richa Ghosh and Priya Punia in Australia, where they lost 3-0. Although it appeared that Punia’s injury was the reason for Ghosh’s promotion in the second ODI, the wicketkeeper-batter acknowledged at a press conference that she had been in queue to open even prior to the match.
India used a fresh opening lineup against the West Indies on Sunday, with Pratika Rawal of Delhi playing alongside Mandhana. India won handily thanks to a patient 40 from Rawal in a 110-run opening stand.
Shafali last played for India in the October home ODIs against New Zealand, scoring 56 runs in three innings. She scored 97 runs in four innings during the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates, but India lost in the group stage.
Before the series against the West Indies, Harmanpreet Kaur had responded that the “right person,” referring to the selection committee, could provide an explanation for the absence of some senior players from the team.
“Because I can only talk about the team that’s here, and what things we can do to win this series. I think regarding Shafali, or any other player, [it’s] better to ask the right persons.”
A few weeks prior, Harmanpreet had said how Shafali was crucial to India’s plans. “She (Shafali) is a very important player for us and has done exceptionally well for the country,” she had said ahead of their series opener against Australia in Brisbane. “We are looking forward to seeing her get back into her zone and perform well for the team.”