Shafali Verma will be very important for us in all formats: Mithali

Bristol, Jun 20 (PTI): Shafali Verma’s spectacular debut has caught the imagination of the Indian women’s team Test skipper Mithali Raj, who feels the teenager would be a key member of the side in all the formats of the game in future.
The 17-year-old, who had smashed a stroke-filled 96 in the first innings, made 63 in the second innings, to become the youngest woman and fourth overall to score twin half-centuries in her debut Test and was rightfully adjudged player-of-the-match.
“She will be very, very important to the Indian batting unit in all formats. She beautifully adapted to this format,” Mithali said in a virtual media interaction after India, following on, salvaged a draw in the one-off Test against England.
“She didn’t go like how she would go bonkers in the T20 format. She played sensibly against the new ball and it’s great to have her.”
Asked what prompted the Indian team management to hand Verma a Test debut in England, Mithali said: “She has great range of shots, and she can be very, very, effective in a format like this if she gets going. In no time, we could see that the score would be somewhere else if she gets going.
“Once we knew that it’s a used wicket and there won’t be much of a movement, we thought it would be a good time to give her a Test debut and she lived up to it.”
Mithali rated the young opener’s knock in the second innings ahead of her first innings score of 96 as the teenager showed utmost composure and maturity.
“The (second innings) fifty came with a little more sorted head and a little bit more experience. Those sweetly-timed drives, it was beautiful to watch her. I’m sure she will grow from strength to strength from here on.”
In reply to England’s first innings score of 396 for 9, India, playing their first-ever Test in seven years, collapsed to 231 from 167 for no loss, courtesy the fine start given by Verma and Smriti Mandhana.
Following-on, India had a familiar collapse after fifties from Verma and Deepti Sharma and they were staring at a loss before debutants Sneh Rana (80 not out) and wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia (44 not out) frustrated the English bowlers to pull off a thrilling draw in the final session.

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