New Delhi, Oct 21 (IANS) Former India batter Veda Krishnamurthy believes Shafali Verma’s growing consistency could pave the way for a remarkable decade of achievements in international cricket, with the 22-year-old emerging as one of the most productive batters in the women’s game.
Speaking after India’s 3-0 T20I series win against Zimbabwe, Veda praised Shafali’s recent progress across formats and pointed to her scoring record in 2026 as evidence of how far the young opener has developed.
Verma was named Player of the Series against Zimbabwe, adding another strong performance to a year in which she has made significant contributions in T20 internationals. For Veda, the encouraging aspect of Verma’s recent performances is not merely her ability to score quickly but the greater regularity with which she is producing impactful innings.
“Consistency was something that was always discussed around Shafali, and the way she has come back, she is starting to show a lot more of it across formats. She got out when she had 991 calendar runs in T20Is this year. We were hoping that she would get to a thousand, and you see the list, Laura Wolvaardt is behind her in second place, and Smriti Mandhana is in third position. The top three will be playing against each other in December. That series is going to be a good one,” Veda told JioStar.
Verma’s tally of 991 T20I runs in the calendar year placed her among the leading run-scorers in the format, underlining the impact she has made throughout the season. The prospect of her competing against fellow leading batters Laura Wolvaardt and Smriti Mandhana in December adds another intriguing dimension to the upcoming international calendar.
Beyond the immediate numbers, Veda also emphasised Verma’s age and the experience she has already accumulated. Despite being just 22, the opener has spent approximately seven years in international cricket, giving her considerable exposure to different conditions, opponents and competitive situations.
“She is just 22 years old, but she has been here for a while. 2019 is when she made her debut. That’s about seven years of international cricket, which is a lot of experience. I’m just looking at it and saying, probably another decade or even more than that of cricket is what we’ll see from her, and the kind of records she’s going to smash is going to be incredible to watch.”
–IANS
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