Shafali Verma becomes youngest Indian named as World No.1 in T20 Rankings

-Anjali Ankad 

 

New Delhi, March 04: If you want something said, ask a man.. if you want something done, ask a woman and the 16-year-old Shafali Verma has done it! The Indian Woman cricketer who has always been in the news for her fearless batting is grabbing the headlines once again. Verma who is part of the Indian team which has gone into the semi-finals of the ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2020 has been named the World No.1 batswoman in the ICC Women’s T20I Player Rankings. She is only the second Indian after veteran Mithali Raj to be ranked No. 1 in women's T20I.

 

 

The teenager is now the youngest Indian ever - both in men and women - to be ranked as World No.1 in any ICC Player Rankings. She climbed up 19 places with 761 points to top the table. She took over New Zealand’s Suzie Bates, who had been the top batter since October 2018.

 Opening an innings at an international cricket is not everyone's cup of tea and she has proven it in this World Cup to help India be unbeaten so far. She has scored 161 runs in four innings including knocks of 47 and 46 against Sri Lanka and New Zealand. It can only happen when you put your all hard work even in the off-season and do not carry the baggage as said by the Indian Women Team coach WV Raman. She now has risen to be the key player for India and who can be a match-winner.

 

It has been only six months since her debut in Indian women's national cricket team. For this to happen at such a young age, it is not easy for a girl/woman to achieve a World No.1 batswoman and this teenager has done it. In her initial days of cricket, she also had her own obstacles which she had overcome to become what is she now. In her early days, her own father who used to play cricket did not support her. Eventually, when her father saw her playing some good shots he started to support her. But it did not stop here. She could not get into a sports academy as there were none. So, her father started to train her.

Verma also revealed why she had the hair cut short. When she used to play with the boys, they used to mock for being a girl. However, it did not stop her from being a sensation. She got into a proper academy. She played so well that she started to play with the boys. One interesting story about her is that when she got 'Man of the series'. When her brother was sick and could attend the series, she went instead of him and earned that title.

 

Verma has the potential to India lift the trophy in this World Cup after the way she played in the campaign. The fearless batting she has in herself is something that cannot be seen these days in any cricketer. Last year against the West Indies, she scored 158 runs in five matches, and was named the "Player of the Series". She has so far scored 485 runs in 18 T20Is at an average of 28.52 with a strike rate of 146.96 including two half-centuries.

 

The other opening batswoman of India Smriti Mandhana meanwhile, slipped two spots from fourth to sixth after a series of low scores in the T20 World Cup. Jemimah Rodrigues, the third Indian in the top 10 has also ended up being in the ninth position after she was sixth in the table.