IND-W vs ENG-W Test: Shafali Verma takes a stunning one-handed catch to dismiss Tammy Beaumont
Indian women’s Test debutant Shafali Verma took a brilliant one-handed catch to send back a well-set Tammy Beaumont on Day 1 of the one-off Test against England in Bristol.
England Women elected to bat first after winning the toss. They got off to a good start as Lauren Winfield-Hill (35) and Beaumont (66) added 69 for the opening wicket. After Winfield-Hill’s dismissal, skipper Heather Knight and Beaumont kept the Indian bowlers at bay.
India needed something special to make a comeback in the match and young Shafali Verma produced a moment of brilliance. Off the first ball of the 49th over bowled by another debutant Sneh Rana, Beaumont got an inside edge onto the pad while looking to defend.
The ball lobbed up towards short leg where Shafali Verma leapt forward and took an excellent one-handed catch, just inches off the ground.
Courtesy of Shafali Verma’s brilliance, Beaumont’s innings ended on 66 from 144 balls. England went to tea at 162 for 2. Skipper Heather Knight was unbeaten on 47 from 100 balls while Natalie Sciver was on 11 from 24.
Debutant Pooja Vastrakar took the first wicket of the game, sending back Winfield-Hill. Jhulan Goswami bowled 16 overs for 41 without claiming a wicket.
Shafali Verma among five Indians to make Test debut
The Indian women’s team which is taking on England in Bristol in a one-off Test saw five players making their debut. Apart from exciting talent Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Pooja Vastrakar, Sneh Rana and Taniya Bhatia were also handed their maiden Test caps.
Ahead of 17-year-old Shafali Verma’s much-anticipated Test debut, India legend Sachin Tendulkar shared a message for the youngster, asking her to go out and express herself. Tendulkar, who made his Test debut at the age of 16, told Sports Today:
"For someone like Shefali, who is 17, it's a beautiful time for her to go out and express herself. That is what I told her in Australia. 'When you were batting I watched you play and what I enjoyed was that fearlessness, bat swing, domination and aggression.'"
"I am very happy for the Indian women's cricket team. They will be playing Test cricket after a long time. Many of them have never played Test cricket,” added Tendulkar.
Shafali Verma has already played 22 T20Is for India, in which she has scored 617 runs at a strike rate of 148.31.