'I would like to thank Meg Lanning for her advice' - Shafali Verma after fiery knock against Gujarat Giants

Shafali Verma fired with the bat when she took charge against Gujarat Giants in the ninth match of the ongoing Women’s Premier League, and took her side to a magnificent 10-wicket victory. Chasing the 106-run target, Verma notched up an unbeaten 76 off mere 28 deliveries while getting her half-century off just 19 balls in the game.

After scoring the second-fastest half-century of the tournament so far, Verma remained unbeaten and finished off the chase in mere 7.1 overs. While Verma scored a major chunk of runs, her opening partner and the team’s skipper Meg Lanning played a second fiddle scoring 21* off 15. Verma’s blistering knock included 10 fours and five sixes as she batted at a strike rate of 271.43.

After clinching the dreamy victory, Shafali was all praises about skipper Lanning. She thanked the Australian star for sharing valuable advice which helped her storm through the Gujarat Giants’ bowling lineup.

“I wasn’t in a hurry, but I was trying to give my best during the run chase. Now we can rest and enjoy ourselves. In the last game, I got out while playing the flick. So, I tried to play straight. I would like to thank Lanning for her advice. I want to work hard in the future and keep scoring and playing in the same way. Thanks to Meg and thanks to all my teammates and my family,” she told the tournament’s broadcasters.

Meg and I just kept helping each other and that helps a lot on the ground: Verma

Delhi Capitals also recorded the highest powerplay score in the WPL at the same time. Shafali was in her zone when she punished the opposition bowlers and went for the big shots. In the first six overs, the 19-year-old, alongside Lanning, scored 87 runs to make the most of the powerplay.

“We were thinking of giving our best. We (me and Meg) knew we could not take this target lightly. We just kept helping each other and that helps a lot on the ground. The pitch was really nice to bat on. We’ll try to keep performing in the same manner in the upcoming games,” Shafali added.

Delhi Capitals will face Royal Challengers Bangalore in their next encounter at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. While Delhi will be riding high on confidence, having clinched all their victories so far in a stylish manner, the Royal Challengers will continue their hunt for the first victory of the tournament, having lost all the four games played so far.