Shafali Verma Draws Inspiration from Rohit Sharma’s Powerplay Dominance for ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024
As the Indian women’s cricket team prepares for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024, star opener Shafali Verma has revealed her admiration for Indian men’s team captain Rohit Sharma’s explosive batting in the powerplay.
Verma, known for her aggressive batting style, believes that Sharma’s ability to maximize scoring opportunities during the first six overs is a key learning point for her. “I would choose India’s Rohit Sharma because the way he utilizes the Powerplay is memorable to watch,” she told Star Sports. “Even in the World Cup, there are 2-3 innings I can recall. I always feel good watching how he makes the most of the Powerplay.”
Sharma’s impressive T20I career, with 4231 runs at a strike rate exceeding 140, serves as a testament to his dominance in the shortest format. His ability to dominate the powerplay overs has been instrumental in India’s success in T20 cricket.
Verma herself has emerged as a vital cog in the Indian batting lineup. Her career statistics across formats reflect her aggressive approach and ability to score quickly. In T20Is, she averages 25.63 with a strike rate of over 130, showcasing her potential to be a game-changer in the powerplay.
The Indian women’s team will be hoping to leverage Verma’s aggressive batting to their advantage as they aim for their maiden T20 World Cup title. However, consistency remains a key area of improvement, as evidenced by their series losses against Australia and England earlier in the year and their recent Asia Cup final defeat to Sri Lanka.
Verma’s admiration for Sharma’s batting is a reflection of the growing influence of the men’s game on the women’s game. As the women’s game continues to evolve, players like Verma are looking to the best in the men’s game for inspiration and guidance.
