'Shafali Verma committed same mistake once again' - Anjum Chopra slams India opener after dismal outing in Bangladesh T20I

Anjum Chopra, former India captain, expressed her disappointment with young India opener Shafali Verma's outing in the first T20I match against Bangladesh at the Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday, July 9. The Harmanpreet Kaur-led side has made a stunning start, outplaying Bangladesh by seven wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three-game series.

India invited the hosts to bat first and restricted them to a below-par score of 114, with Pooja Vastrakar, Shafali Verma, and debutant Minnu Mani grabbing one wicket each. Batting second, India effortlessly chased down the target with seven wickets and 22 deliveries to spare, thanks to Harmanpreet Kaur's unbeaten 54 runs.

While reviewing the game, Chopra chastised Verma who was dismissed by Marufa Akter for a three-ball duck. The 46-year-old also lavished praise on Bangladesh fast bowler Akter, saying she has pace and swing but that Verma should've been more prepared as an opener.

"When India came to bat, I saw the same thing lacking, especially Shafali Verma. Bangladesh played only one fast bowler in their lineup. Marufa Akter is a very young player, we saw her in the T20 World Cup in February, she has pace and swing but you should be slightly ready as an opener," Chopra said in a video on her YT channel.

You have not worked on yourself and if you have done, it was not enough: Chopra

The former cricketer went on to criticize Verma for departing without making any impact in the top order. The 46-year-old also remarked that the 19-year-old's performance demonstrates that she has not worked on herself, and if she has, it was minimal.

"Shafali Verma committed the same mistake once again. She played around the front pad and got out lbw without opening her account. It will create an impact that she got out for a duck and the bigger impact will be created because of the way she got out. It means you have not worked on yourself and if you have done, it was not enough," she added.

The cricketer-turned-commentator further said that it's normal for someone to play that way when they're scoring runs. She went on to say that the Indian coaching staff and Verma herself must work on her technical deficiencies in the upcoming matches. 

"You don't make this mistake in the opening match of the season or series. It is understandable if you play like that when you are scoring runs. So this is a caution and also homework, especially for the Indian team's coaching staff or for Shafali Verma herself," the former skipper further said.