Young opener Shafali Verma could make her Test debut in the one-off Test between India women and England women that commences on Wednesday.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 17-year-old Rohtak girl is one of the hardest hitters of a cricket ball in women's cricket but is yet to play an ODI or a Test match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
While not having played a Test is understandable since India have not played one in close to seven years, her absence from the ODI squad in the recent home series against South Africa raised quite a few eyebrows.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Asked if Shafali will play the Test, team vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur had on Monday refused to confirm but said that they are backing her to play her natural game.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Shafali is someone we always want to play. She is someone who can dominate the opposition," Harmanpreet had told media and added that the youngster looked good in the nets.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"We never tried to tinker with Shafali's game as she is a natural player, it's not a great idea to talk too much about technique and game planning with her," she had added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"All of us are trying to create a very nice situation for her so that she does not feel the pressure and enjoys her cricket. She was looking great in the nets, and I hope, if she gets a chance to play, she will do better."<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shafali has scored 617 runs in 22 T20 Internationals at a high strike rate of 148.31. Like former India opener Virender Sehwag, she can unnerve the opposition, put them on the defensive with a big knock.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, if the ball moves, it could be challenging for her.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
On Monday, England vice-captain Natalie Sciver had said that the England team is wary of the fearless young cricketers in Indian camp.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"They are an ever-growing side," Sciver was quoted as saying by espncricinfo.com.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"There is always a new, young talent on the team who is not afraid to go out there and show what they have got. They seem to be more fearless than I have seen before," said Sciver.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
"Couple that with a lot of experience in their team -- with Mithali Raj, Jhulan Goswami -- they can be a very difficult side to beat. Hopefully in England, in our conditions, we can hone our skills and make sure that we're doing the right things," added Sciver.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shafali's father Sanjeev, whose training helped her develop hard-hitting skills, said he is keeping fingers crossed.<\/p>\r\n", "image": "https:\/\/img.cricketnmore.com\/uploads\/2021\/06\/all-eyes-on-shafali-verma-ahead-of-india-womens-one-off-test-against-england.jpg", "alt_img": "Cricket Image for All Eyes On Shafali Verma Ahead Of India Women's One-Off Test Against England", "alt_title": "Shafali Verma", "image1": "", "video": "", "seo_title": "All Eyes On Shafali Verma Ahead Of India Women's One-Off Test Against England On Cricketnmore", "seo_desc": "Shafali Verma could make her Test debut in the one-off Test between India women and England women", "seo_keywords": "India Tour Of England 2021, Shafali Verma", "tag": "", "tagging": "India Tour Of England 2021,Shafali Verma,", "status": "1", "img_rpt": "0", "google": "1", "standout": "0", "edapps": "0", "pulse": "0", "no_index": "0", "feed": "0", "fixture": "0", "slug": "all-eyes-on-shafali-verma-ahead-of-india-womens-one-off-test-against-england", "user_id": "0", "read_count": "0", "ians_date": "0000-00-00", "ians_time": "00:00:00", "server_time": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "trash": "0", "view_count": "2178", "page_break": "0", "instant_articles": "1", "auto_link": "1", "created": "2021-06-15 14:36:46", "updated": "2021-06-15 14:37:08", "img_from": "Image Source: AFP", "img_source": "", "schedule_publish": "0000-00-00 00:00:00", "news_keywords": "Shafali Verma, India, England, ENG v IND, India Test Team, Women's Cricket", "livescore_text": null, "livescore_link": null, "btn_text": null, "resend_feed": "0", "google_feed": "0", "read_more": "0", "posted_by": "21", "jio_date": "2021-06-15 14:36:46", "scheduled": "0", "news_now": "1", "breaking_news": "0", "google_date": "2021-06-15 14:36:46", "featured": "0", "pred_match_id": null, "article_content_type": null, "link": "https:\/\/www.cricketnmore.com\/cricket-news\/all-eyes-on-shafali-verma-ahead-of-india-womens-one-off-test-against-england-77981" }