Raipur, Oct 15 (IANS) Newly appointed T20I vice-captain Shafali Verma said on Thursday that her role in the Indian team leadership group will go beyond that title, adding that the side are aiming to play a fearless yet smart brand of T20 cricket in next year’s Champions Trophy.
India, to be now captained by Smriti Mandhana, will begin its preparation for the inaugural six-team tournament, to be played in Mumbai and Vadodara in February 2027, when they open the T20I series against Zimbabwe at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium on Friday.
“Just talking about vice-captaincy, I have done captaincy in the Under-19 World Cup as well. So, I have that experience. I know vice-captaincy is not just a title. It’s a big responsibility. I know we have to just take care of each and every player and make them in a very good headspace. So, I am just trying to make every player very comfortable and just help the captain,” Shafali said in the pre-match press conference.
She also credited former captain Harmanpreet Kaur for the growth of the women’s game and said the team had already mapped out its approach for the road ahead. “Harman di has done a lot of growth to women’s cricket. The current shape of women’s cricket, it’s just all about Harman di only. So, just thanks to her and just talking about how we have to move forward in women’s cricket. First of all, we have to play a fearless brand of cricket in T20, with smartness as well.
“So, we have just talked in this series that we have to play the Champions Trophy, the fearless brand of cricket with the smartness and we have done lots of meetings. So, everyone knows what to do and you guys can also see the growth. So, we are just trying to keep growing series by series,” she added.
Shafali, who has been in prolific form via scores of 64, 68, 40 not out, 100 not out and 48, traced her resurgence to the work she put in after being left out of the ODI side in 2025, before a call-up came following Pratika Rawal’s injury led to her dramatic return to the ODI World Cup team and capped it off with a Player of the Match performance in the final against South Africa in Navi Mumbai.
“When Pratika got injured, I got a direct call to be back in the team. Luckily, at that time I was playing state T20 games from Haryana. So, I worked a lot on myself in 2025 and I think that hard work which I did in 2025, it gave me lots of help right now. So, I am just trying to keep my head down and just keep learning everything. Every day brings every new experience, and I am just trying to learn everything,” she said.
Shafali recalled that spending time out of the team forced her to take a hard look at her game. “I think in 2025, when I got out of the team, I sat down and analysed myself which things I have to work on.
“First of all, consistency and then fitness, which meant I had to work on my body. Mentally, I have to grow more. So, these three things, I did hard work at that time. I think because of that, everything is going well. So, I am just trying to be more consistent.”
Shafali, who has also been chipping in with her off-spin, said she had long prepared for the possibility of bowling at the international level. “Bowling is nothing new for me because I have been bowling for Haryana since 2021. So, I know when I used to bowl for Haryana, I used to think that someday I will have to bowl for India.
“So, I used to keep myself mentally prepared at that time that if I get bowling in the Indian team, then how do I have to prepare. With God’s grace at that time, I am just trying to get used to the thinking that when I will get bowling in the Indian team, then what do I have to do and luckily I did that. Mentally, I have been ahead only and it’s a great thing.”
Aware that opponents now plan specifically for her, Shafali said she recreates various match scenarios in the nets. “I know that the other opponent team does all the preparation for me. So, in the net sessions, I always prepare for that. If my hitting is not good in the net session, then how do I play along the ground? So, I put myself in various situations in every net session.
“So, I think it is easy for me to go into the match because of that practice. On every skill, on short balls, even on spinner’s back foot punch and even the pull shots as well. So, I have worked on that and I can see a very good reflection. So, I have to just keep doing the hard work.”
In the absence of injured Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali said the batting order had coped well and backed youngster Niki Prasad to step up. “Jemi is recovering. But, in the Asia Cup and Asian Games, we were very good in the middle order. We didn’t feel so much absence of it.
“But the way Richa played and the way Harman di played and now, Niki has come. Hopefully, she will also do well in the middle. So, we will just keep trying every player and where we made mistakes before, we will try to do better there.”
–IANS
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