Shafali Verma is one of the country’s top batting prospects, with a promising career ahead of her, but the team’s decision to keep her on the bench raised some eyebrows. There are three reasons: India took the right decision by removing Shefali Verma.
While Shafali is still young and has lots of space to develop, the current circumstances suggest that she does not deserve a spot in the Indian ODI team.
Several indicators are pointing in this way. Three reasons: India made the correct move in dismissing Shefali Verma.
Three reasons: India made the correct decision by removing Shafali Verma
There are Three reasons: India made the correct decision by removing Shafali Verma
1. Shafali was replaced at the top of the order by Yastika Bhatia. Although she has not been at her best in recent matches, the left-hander is another promising young player with the potential to thrive at the international level.
Yastika is a more controlled batter with tight defense, and she is gradually gaining the offensive skills required at the highest level.
Keeping left-arm combinations at the top is not ideal, especially since Mandhana is poor against off-spin. Other reliable solutions for the 50-over format exist in India.
2. Shafali Verma has been playing international cricket for a few years, but her batting has not developed as much as India would have hoped. His game still has weaknesses that make her a liability at the top of the order.
Shafali is a one-dimensional hitter whose strike rotation and running between wickets have been called into question multiple times. When his powerful strokes fail, the young opener resembles a deer caught in headlights.
The issue is that Shafali is a lousy fielder, with frequent misses increasing the problems of an already weak defense. For a long time, Shafali Verma has been unable to rectify flaws in her game.
3. In Shafali Verma’s situation, her statistics do not justify her inclusion. She has only four half-centuries in 23 ODIs and an average of less than 25.
She has scored in the single digits in her previous five matches in the format, and her T20I performances have also been lacking.
Shafali’s statistics in lower levels of cricket, such as the Women’s Premier League, are excellent. However, a sabbatical from the international circuit might be extremely beneficial to her in the long term.