Shafali Verma loses the number one spot in Women's T20I batting rankings; Smriti Mandhana retains her position
Indian Women's team opener Shafali Verma dropped to second position in the latest T20I batting rankings. The aggressive batter had a disappointing run in the recently concluded three-match T20I series against Australia as she could muster only 22 runs across three games.
Her opening partner Smriti Mandhana retained her third position in the rankings. Australian batter Beth Mooney rose to first position after she ended the series against India as the highest run-getter.
Mooney accumulated 95 runs across two innings at an average of 47.50, including a solitary half-century. The rest of the top-10 positions did not see any changes. Aussie skipper Meg Lanning remained in fourth spot behind Smriti Mandhana.
We have a new No. 1 in town 👏
Plenty of movement in this week's @MRFWorldwide ICC Women's T20I Player Rankings 📈
More 👉 bit.ly/3AJYffX https://t.co/o0U1hEYJ1T
In the bowlers' rankings, Indian spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad occupied the 12th spot after finishing as the highest wicket-taker in the three-match T20I series against Australia.
Sophie Molineux also gained significantly in the latest rankings. The Aussie bowling all-rounder climbed 12 places and occupied the ninth spot.
Maybe Shafali Verma is not getting co-ordination right while batting: WV Raman
Former Indian Women's team coach opined that Shafali Verma's recent struggles with the bat might be due to co-ordination issues while facing pace variations.
During a recent media interaction, WV Raman tried to dissect the reasons behind Shafali Verma's lean patch of form and said:
"Maybe she is not getting that co-ordination right of slowing things down suddenly when it comes to keeping in sync with the pace of the delivery. She is one who looks to play shots all the time. So perhaps, even if she spots a slower delivery, she is not able to slow down her moments or bat flow. But she'll learn.
"Let's not forget the fact that she is one cricketer, who whenever she gets some time off in international series, she works on some aspect of her batting."
India's multi-format series against Australia concluded recently. Shafali Verma will now participate in the WBBL soon. She will be looking to get back to form by playing some match-winning knocks in the T20 tournament.