"Meg Lanning might have been asking her to hit more for the first time" - Reema Malhotra lauds Shafali Verma's explosive knock for DC vs GG

Reema Malhotra has lauded Shafali Verma for scoring an explosive half-century in the Delhi Capitals' (DC) Women's Premier League (WPL) 2023 win against the Gujarat Giants (GG).

Shafali smashed an unbeaten 76 off just 28 balls as the Capitals chased down a lowly 106-run target with all ten wickets and 77 deliveries to spare at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Saturday, March 11. Their bowlers earlier restricted Sneh Rana and Co. to 105/9, with Marizanne Kapp (5/15) starring with the ball.

While reviewing the game on Sports18, Malhotra pointed out that Meg Lanning might have been urging Shafali Verma to hit more from the other end, stating:

"India have got such a talent after a very long time. She is a fearless cricketer and she is the favorite of a lot of people. Meg Lanning might have been asking her to hit more for the first time. If she (Lanning) had been playing for Australia, she would have been asking how to stop her."

The former Indian all-rounder added that Saturday's knock was ample proof of why the Delhi Capitals opener is backed despite being inconsistent, elaborating:

"Why do you back this talent - because her playing style is like that. She is an explosive batter, plays attacking cricket and in that process you also fail at times. Then you feel what sort of shot she played, what was the need for that? Today you would have got the answer for that because she is that sort of talent."

MAXIMUM 💥

@TheShafaliVerma wasting no time in the chase as she has raced to 40* off 15 deliveries!

Follow the match 👉 bit.ly/4007R2Z

#TATAWPL | #GGvDC | @DelhiCapitals https://t.co/a9x5iYL6U8

Shafali smashed 10 fours and five sixes during her innings. She reached her fifty off just 19 balls, the second-fastest half-century of the tournament, behind only Sophia Dunkley's 18-ball effort in the Gujarat Giants' previous match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

"It was an innings worth watching" - Reema Malhotra on Shafali Verma's knock

Shafali Verma scored her second half-century of the tournament. [P/C: WPL/Twitter]

Malhotra highlighted that Shafali learned from her mistake in the last match, observing:

"She showed her thinking that she got out while playing the flick the last time, so she would hit more straight today. Meg Lanning helped her and that came in handy. You will say that you want to watch this innings not once but again and again because it was an innings worth watching."

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by praising India's Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup-winning captain for planning her shots meticulously, explaining:

"We saw the Shafali Verma-special power hitting. She likes to hit sixes but along with that, the way she timed the ball. She knew when to play with the straight bat, when to open the face of the bat and when to play after making room, which means she bats with her brain."

The boundaries are short, sure, but several of these sixes would clear ropes with bigger dimensions.

Haven’t watched Shafali Verma bat like this in international cricket.

In my book, that’s the best she has ever batted in top-flight cricket.

Bravo, Shafali.

#WPL | #DC

Shafali Verma, with 179 runs, moved into the second spot in the Orange Cap race in WPL 2023. She is behind her skipper Meg Lanning, who has amassed 206 runs thus far.