Worked hard on my bowling: Indian opener Shafali Verma on her growing all-rounder role
India opener Shafali Verma credited preparation and visualization for her growing influence with the ball and said her development as a part-time player was the result of deliberate work rather than chance, ahead of India’s must-win T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh in Manchester on June 25. The young batsman is known for her explosive starts at the top of the order. The young batsman has an increasingly useful batting option at key moments in India.
Her development as a bowling option added balance to the side at a critical stage of the tournament, with India pushing for qualification in a hotly contested group.
“It’s not like I’ve never looked before,” said Shafali Verma on the eve of India’s T20 World Cup match against Bangladesh. “Whenever I played domestic cricket for Haryana and even when I was the captain, I always took time to think about how I would do if I got a chance to play for India.
“I visualized those situations. If I play in a particular match situation, what do I have to think about? It’s not like I just bowl. I prepared for it and worked hard for it. That’s why I’m able to play well.”
Shafali also said she accepts the added responsibility and is willing to step up whenever the team calls for it, describing her expanded role as part of her growth as a cricketer.
“As a player, whatever the situation is and whatever the team needs, I always raise my hand. I want to get the team out of difficult situations and help win games. So I’d say I’m versatile now,” she said.
The 22-year-old also acknowledged her family’s influence in shaping her skills, recalling how her father encouraged her to bowl from a young age, while she also experimented as a wicketkeeper in domestic cricket.
“My brother was a leg-spinner, so sometimes my dad would tell me to bowl too when I get the chance. Now he says, ‘Thank God you bowled then because you can bowl well today’,” she added.
“My father made me a wicket-keeper first. If you don’t know, I used to keep wickets in domestic cricket. But now I also bowl and I don’t mind being the one who helps the team win matches.”
INDIA AIMED TO RETURN TO THE BEST
India’s six-wicket defeat of South Africa is over Harmanpreet Kaur’s side need a win in their remaining two league matches against Bangladesh and Australia to stay in contention for a place in the knockout stages.
Shafali said the team has moved on quickly from the setback and is focused on a strong response at the must-win stage of the tournament.
“When we have bad days, the morale of the players will be down. But the next day we all know we have to pull together and motivate each other,” she said.
“We talked about it in the meeting yesterday. We know these are key games but we will support each other. We take it day by day… they are all very mature. They have all played a lot of cricket. So I don’t think we will let that happen again in this World Cup. We will give our best.” Sree Charani is the tournament’s leading wicket-taker (Photo Reuters)
Shafali added that India was wary of complacency despite going into the match against Bangladesh as favourites, stressing the importance of respecting every opposition in tournament cricket.
“We cannot take any team lightly. They have also come here to show good cricket… we all know we have to win two matches but we will go match by match,” she said.
The opener also drew confidence from India’s experience of similar pressure situations in last year’s ODI World Cup, where the team responded strongly after a tough phase.
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Published on:
24 Jun 2026 21:28 IST