Shafali Verma
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Career
2013- 2020 Feb
Avijit Ghosh, March 1, 2020: The Times of India
From: Avijit Ghosh, March 1, 2020: The Times of India
Sanjeev Verma recounts the story with relish. Back in 2013, Sachin Tendulkar came to Rohtak to play his last Ranji Trophy match against Haryana. “The rush for free passes even triggered a lathicharge. But I managed to get three for Shafali, her elder brother Sahil and me,” her father recalls.
The Lahli stadium, about 10 kilometres from the town, teemed with fans. “We saw much of the game standing in the back row. I took Shafali closer to the pavilion so that she could see Sachin. When he came out to bat, the crowd started chanting, “Sachin, Sachin”. They cheered every run he scored. Shafali saw the way he batted, the crowd’s response. After that game, she told me, I don’t want to play with a tennis ball anymore; I want to play leather ball cricket.”
Six years on, Shafali is a crowdpleaser in her own right like her cricketing idol. She has been India’s fire-starter and lifesaver. With a Sehwag-like nonchalance and a Gaylelike penchant for sixes, the fearless 16-year-old opener from Rohtak has pilloried the world’s best in the ongoing Women’s T20 World Cup. When former England captain Nasser Hussain described her as “a wow player”, he was echoing most cricket lovers’ thoughts.
A dot-ball hater, Shafali’s tournament strike rate is a jaw-dropping 161: no batter with a minimum 50 runs even comes close. India has struck 12 sixes in four games, Haryana’s latest sporting prodigy alone has hit nine — the highest in the championship.
Luck too has been her ally. Shafali earned her second consecutive player of the match award after firing 46 off 34 against New Zealand gorging on two lives. Her father doesn’t mind. “Hum keh rahe thhey ki hamari ladki ke catch drop nahin hote. Parmatma ne hamari sun li. (I was complaining that my daughter’s catches are never dropped. The Almighty heard me),” says Sanjeev. The lucky streak continued on Saturday when the teenager again profited from two lives to pummel 47 off 34 against Sri Lanka.
Shafali comes from a family of cricket-loving goldsmiths. In the early 1990s, Sanjeev, his brothers and other relatives got together to cobble up their own team, Verma Cricket Club. “I opened the bowling and batted in the top order. But those were different times and I couldn’t make headway,” he says. When his kids started growing up, a part of Sanjeev’s sitting room-cumworkplace was converted into a makeshift arena for tennis ball cricket. Later, when they played near Gandhi Ashram, Sanjeev noticed that Shafali’s shots travelled as far as her brother’s, a year and a half older than her. With hardly any girls in her age-group playing cricket, Shafali played with the boys. “Some would refuse. They would say, lag jayegi (she would get hurt). Then Shafali suggested cutting her hair short. Papa, unko pata nahin chalega (They won’t know),” Sanjeev recalls her telling him.
In 2016, Sanjeev was swindled of Rs 7.5 lakh and his wife’s jewellery by a con promising him a job. “For the next five-six months, I had no idea what I was going to do. During this period, Shafali’s gloves were torn, her bat broke. But she continued to play. She would hide her pair of gloves in the kitbag. I still have them,” he says.
Recovery would take time. But determined to ensure the best for Shafali, Sanjeev borrowed money and took her to Shri Ram Narain Cricket Club, a cutting-edge facility on the edge of the town. Within a year, she was playing in the club’s elite group facing Ranji bowlers such as Ashish Hooda and Ajit Chahal, both 130+ kph pacers. “Shafali has been hit on the thigh, stomach and helmet. But she was always unafraid and unfazed,” says coach Sanjay Budhwar, a left-arm seamer with 95 first-class wickets. Recalls another coach Sant Kumar, “She hits the ball so hard that we are wary of standing at the umpire’s spot for coaching.”
Her journey to the Indian team was like her shots: rapid and breathtaking. Late last year, when she was 15 years and 285 days old, Shafali broke the record for the youngest Indian cricketer to post a 50 in international cricket. She smashed 73 off 49 against West Indies to shatter the 30-year-old record of her inspiration, Tendulkar. When Shafali Instagramed a picture with her idol this year, she wrote, “The reason I took up this game was because of Sachin sir…”. The wheel had turned full circle. And this is simply the beginning.
