"Whenever I see her bat, I am reminded of Virender Sehwag" - Sanjay Bangar lauds Shafali Verma's knock in IND vs PAK 2024 Women's Asia Cup clash
Sanjay Bangar has lauded Shafali Verma for playing a destructive knock in India's 2024 Women's Asia Cup clash against Pakistan. He noted that the opener's approach reminds him of Virender Sehwag.
India bundled Pakistan out for 108 after Nida Dar opted to bat first in a Group A game in Dambulla on Friday, July 19. Shafali then smashed 40 runs off 29 deliveries as the Women in Blue chased the target down with seven wickets and 35 deliveries to spare to start their campaign with a win.
Reviewing the game on Star Sports, Bangar pointed out that Shafali demoralizes the opposition like Sehwag.
"Whenever I see her bat, I am reminded of Virender Sehwag because Shafali leaves her imprint just like Virender Sehwag did in men's cricket. She makes the opposing team lose their morale totally in the first six overs itself because of the sort of shots she plays," he said.
The former India all-rounder added that the youngster showed finesse apart from power.
"She played some beautiful shots. The off-drive she played, I felt it was the best shot. It was an incredible shot and it shows that she is not only destructive but is fully capable of playing shots with good technique," Bangar elaborated.
Shafali struck six fours and a six during her knock. She added 85 runs for the opening wicket with Smriti Mandhana in just 9.3 overs to virtually end the match as a contest.
"The best thing I liked about her batting was that she found the gaps very well" - Sanjay Bangar on Smriti Mandhana's knock
![Smriti Mandhana smashed 45 runs off 31 balls. [P/C: BCCI]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/07/4240d-17214549618396-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same discussion, Sanjay Bangar was also asked about his thoughts on Smriti Mandhana's knock (45 off 31).
"The best thing I liked about her batting was that she found the gaps very well. She knew where the fielders were present. When the ball lacked pace, she held herself back, gave herself time, and played many shots off the back foot," he responded.
The former India batting coach praised the left-handed opener for showing a marked improvement in her on-side game.
"She played a lot over the in-fielders. It seems like she has worked a lot on her on-side game. She used to be known earlier for her off-side game. She did play a few beautiful shots on the off-side but along with that, I liked the most the way she found the gaps and got many boundaries," Bangar observed.
Mandhana struck nine fours during her knock. The Indian vice-captain was in scintillating form in the recently concluded multi-format series against South Africa and will want to continue in the same vein in the ongoing Asia Cup and the women's T20 World Cup later this year.