"What a player, the future of Indian Women's cricket" - Fans react as Shafali Verma smashes 81 runs off 48 balls in IND vs NEP Women’s Asia Cup game
Shafali Verma starred with the bat for India in their Women’s T20 Asia Cup game against Nepal at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium on Tuesday, July 23. The right-hander slammed 81 runs off just 48 deliveries at a strike rate of 168.75 with the help of one six and 12 boundaries.
Shafali also shared a 122-run partnership with her opening partner Dayalan Hemalatha. During her knock, Shafali also completed 3,000 runs in international cricket.
Verma recently returned with scores of 40 (29) and 37 (18) against Pakistan and the UAE, respectively, in the T20 tournament. With that, she rose four spots to 11th in the latest ICC T20I rankings for women’s batters.
Fans on X lauded Shafali Verma for her entertaining knock against Nepal. One user wrote:
"What a player, The future of Indian Women's cricket."
Another user wrote:
"Missed out on a hundred, it was there for the taking."
"Excellent consistency," a third user added.
Here are a few more reactions:
Shafali Verma’s exploit helps India post 179-run target for Nepal in Women’s Asia Cup match
A clinical batting display from Shafali Verma and Dayalan Hemalatha helped India post 178/3 against Nepal on Tuesday. Apart from Shafali, Hemalatha scored 47 runs off 42 balls, comprising one six and five boundaries. Jemimah Rodrigues also chipped in with an unbeaten 28 off 15, hitting five boundaries.
Sita Rana Magar was the leading wicket-taker for Nepal, returning with two wickets, while Kabita Joshi bagged one.
India began their tournament on a high note by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan by seven wickets. The Women in Blue then beat United Arab Emirates by 78 runs in a one-sided contest, courtesy of half-centuries from captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Richa Ghosh.
The Women in Blue will next play in the semifinal at the same venue on Friday, July 26.
Follow the IND vs NEP Women’s T20 Asia Cup live score and updates here.