"I was just cheerleading from the other end"- DC captain Meg Lanning on Shafali Verma's blazing 76* against Gujarat Giants

Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma (DC Twitter)
Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma (DC Twitter)

Delhi Capitals (DC) captain Meg Lanning heaped praise on her opening partner Shafali Verma for her explosive knock during a resounding 10-wicket victory over Gujarat Giants on Saturday (March 11).

It was a complete mismatch as the Capitals outplayed the Giants in all departments in the ninth match of WPL 2023. Gujarat batted first after winning the toss and could only manage to score 105/9. Marizanne Kapp picked up a sensational fifer and wreaked havoc on the opposition's batting line-up.

Shafali Verma then made quick work of the paltry chase by smashing a 76* in just 28 balls to power DC to victory in just 7.1 overs. Meg Lanning played the perfect foil for her, remaining unbeaten on 21* as Delhi wrapped up things in clinical fashion.

Speaking at the post-match presentation, DC skipper Lanning revealed that she relished batting with Shafali Verma, saying:

"Shafali certainly was (in a hurry). That was pretty cool to watch, I was just cheerleading from the other end. Some very clean hitting, some of the best I've seen. Super performance. I did (give her advice), I said just keep it simple. Stay still and hit the ball straight. It was pretty nice. It seemed like a new ball wicket and they've got some skillful bowlers."

On the importance of momentum in small chases, she continued:

"When it was short, you could play but the good length was tricky. Shafali didn't make it seem that way. These kinds of chases can be hard if you get into your shell, so we wanted to make sure that doesn't happen."

Meg Lanning also revealed that Marizanne Kapp was not pleased with her performances in the previous games.

" (Kapp) That's her natural length. She was a bit frustrated with her performances, not sure why. She's certainly pleased today. It's the opposite (feeling compared to the previous game). Hoping we can keep this up," she concluded.

DC will next face RCB on March 13

DC have played four matches so far in WPL 2023. They won three and lost one game. With six points, they currently occupy the second position in the table. Here is their schedule for their remaining four games of the league stage:

March 13 - 7:30 PM - Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - DY Patil Stadium

March 16 -7:30 PM - Delhi Capitals vs Gujarat Giants - Brabourne Stadium

March 20 - 7:30 PM - Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians - DY Patil Stadium

March 21 - 7:30 PM - Delhi Capitals vs UP Warriorz - Brabourne Stadium

Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️

Quick Links

Edited by S Chowdhury