‘I want to be known by my own name and not as someone’s clone’ – Shafali Verma on being compared to Virender Sehwag, Sir Vivian Richards

Indian women cricket team’s opener Shafali Verma has indeed made a name for herself in the last couple of years. The right-handed batter is truly fearless as she attacks bowlers straight away regardless of the condition or circumstance. Be it Tests or T20Is, Verma only has one way to tackle the bowlers. This approach has been successful for Shafali as she tormented many prominent bowling attacks in her brief but largely impressive career.

Riding on her prowess, the Women in Blue have also clinched many victories. In fact, the 17-year-old sensation is currently the top-ranked T20I batter. Owing to Shafali’s staggering hitting skills, fans and experts have often compared her to talismans like Virender Sehwag and Sir Vivian Richards. While these are big personalities in the cricket world, Shafali doesn’t prefer being anyone’s ‘clone’. Instead, the swashbuckler wants people to know her by her own name.

I want to learn from them, but I don’t want to copy them: Shafali Verma

“I want to be known as just Shafali Verma. I want to be known for my own style. It’s not that I don’t watch and observe other players’ games. I want to learn from them, but I don’t want to copy them. As I said, I want to be known by my own name and not as someone’s clone. But there is no denying the fact that when I am compared to Sehwag, it gives me tremendous confidence,” she said in a conversation with the Times of India.

It’s indeed evident that Shafali is determined to thrive and it would be interesting to see how far her career pans out. For the unversed, the youngster has so far represented India in 1 Test, three ODIs, and 25 T20Is, scoring 159, 78, and 665 runs respectively. These numbers are indeed impressive but Shafali would undoubtedly be determined in enhancing her tally.

The dashing opener was last seen in the recently-concluded The Hundred’s Women. Playing for Birmingham Phoenix, Shafali slammed 171 runs in eight outings with her strike rate being over 140. Although the Birmingham-based side couldn’t get the glory, Verma’s sensational show earned praises from different parts. She’s now gearing up for India’s full-fledged tour of Australia, which gets underway on September 19.