Amol Muzumdar gives Shafali’s WC hopes a big boost by saying she is in contention for the tournament come Septmeber.
In the discussion around India’s roster selection for the home ODI World Cup later this year, Shafali Verma has made a strong impression.
Recalled for the T20I series against England, which India won 3-2, Shafali, who had been dropped following India’s group-stage loss at the T20 World Cup in October, made a comeback by finishing as the second-highest run-scorer behind opening partner Smriti Mandhana.
Shafali scored 20, 3, 47, 31 and a 75 off 41 balls for his 176 runs at 35.20 and a strike rate of 158.55. In losing circumstances, she scored her highest two scores as England won by the final ball at The Oval and Edgbaston, respectively.
Despite a 101-run opening partnership between Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley, the hosts needed the most successful chase in women’s T20Is in England to win it after she helped her team go from 19 for 2 to 167 for 7. They did so only on the last delivery.
India’s head coach Amol Muzumdar stated that Shafali is “without a doubt” in contention for the ODI World Cup at home beginning on September 30, even though Pratika Rawal is still the incumbent. Shafali is not included in the ODI series that begins in Southampton on Wednesday.
“It just shows that we’ve got a lot of depth now in this India squad,” Muzumdar said. “Pratika Rawal, she was drafted in the month of December, so it’s almost six months, but she has left a mark, a big mark in her initial stage in her international career.
“So I think there’s a lot of depth in this Indian line-up, a good headache to have as a coaching staff. And Shafali has been a terrific player. There’s no doubt about it that she will be in the mix. She will be amongst the core group of India. There’s no doubt in my mind about it. But at the moment, Pratika, she has joined the squad probably four or five days prior to the ODI. The depth is stronger, it’s getting stronger.”