Shafali Verma Emphasizes All-Round Improvement for India Ahead of Asia Cup Semifinal
Indian opener Shafali Verma has highlighted the need for her team to enhance their performance in all aspects of the game as they prepare for the women’s Asia Cup semifinal clash against Bangladesh on Friday.
Despite India’s impressive run in the tournament so far, Verma believes there is room for improvement. “We are winning the matches and gelling well as a team, but the semifinal is very important for us,” she said. “We are practicing very hard, and hopefully we will execute (plans) tomorrow.”
Verma, who has been the second-highest run-scorer in the competition with 158 runs from three appearances, emphasized the importance of the batting unit continuing to perform. “As a batting unit, we are backing our strength,” she said. “Bowlers are also doing well at nets. But we need to keep improving ourselves.”
The 20-year-old also mentioned that the lower-order batters have been working hard in practice, despite not having had the opportunity to showcase their abilities in the tournament. “They haven’t had much of a chance (to bat), but Deepti (Sharma), Pooja (Vastrakar), and all other lower batters are practicing well, and I am sure they are ready to hit a few sixes whenever their opportunity comes,” she said.
Verma stressed that the current title holders are particularly focused on improving their fielding. “We are working hard on our fielding,” she said. “Hopefully, we will be able to tick the boxes in all three departments – batting, bowling, fielding – tomorrow against Bangladesh.”
