"The way Shafali Verma plays has become predictable" - Anjum Chopra on opener's reduced impact in recent times
Anjum Chopra feels Shafali Verma's game has become predictable and that the youngster needs to bring some changes to her approach to remain ahead of the opposition.
Shafali is part of India's 15-member squad for the Women's T20 World Cup to be played in South Africa in February this year. The Women in Blue will begin their campaign with a clash against Pakistan in Cape Town on February 12.
In a video shared on her YouTube channel, Chopra was asked about her thoughts on why Shafali's strike rate has come down from earlier, to which she responded:
"Ups and downs keep happening in international cricket. The way Shafali Verma plays has become predictable, for the bowlers and the teams, and somewhere or the other it is not helpful for her as well as the Indian team."
The former Indian skipper feels the destructive opener needs to add more facets to her game, explaining:
"When you are a youngster and come to international cricket for the first time, the other teams don't know you and it is the right time to create an impact. Shafali Verma had that and she did it as well. You have to slowly-slowly bring changes in your game so that you can remain ahead of the opposition."
Chopra is hopeful that the 18-year-old will improve her game as she continues playing, elaborating:
"The day it pays off, it looks very good, but the day it doesn't pay off, it disappoints the followers slightly, just like me. I do agree that her strike rate has dipped a little, I would say her impact has reduced slightly but she is young and has a long way to cover up and I am hopeful she does that."
Shafali has amassed 1231 runs at an impressive strike rate of 134.53 in the 51 T20Is she has played. The right-handed batter scored 544 runs at a slightly lower strike rate of 125.63 in the 23 games she played last year.
"You should see it as an advantage rather than a disadvantage" - Anjum Chopra on Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh playing the under-19 World Cup
Chopra was further asked whether Shafali and Richa Ghosh playing the under-19 World Cup ahead of the T20 World Cup could impact the Indian team negatively due to possible injuries, to which she replied:
"It is important for Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh to utilize the time with the under-19 team because both of them will most likely play in the first XI if they are fit. So you should use this time, you should see it as an advantage rather than a disadvantage."
Highest T20I strike rate by Indian women in a calendar year (min 10 inns):
150.58 - Richa Ghosh in 2022
149.71 - Shafali Verma in 2020
136.02 - Deepti Sharma in 2022
133.48 - Smriti Mandhana in 2022
Shafali will lead the Indian team in the under-19 World Cup to be played in South Africa later this month. Although Shweta Sehrawat will be her deputy, the experienced Richa is also part of that squad.
Also Read: "T20 cricket is not ideal for him" - Aakash Chopra on importance of remaining two T20Is for Shubman Gill