"Gave Sehwag vibes"- Twitter reacts to Shafali Verma's incredible 96-run knock on Test debut

Debutant Shafali Verma looked in excellent touch in her first Test innings for the Indian women's cricket team. The 17-year-old opener smashed a 152-ball 96 to power her team past the 150-mark without losing any wickets.

Shafali Verma built a 167-run opening partnership with her partner Smriti Mandhana. The two Indian openers created a new record for the highest opening partnership in Indian women's Test cricket history.

Unfortunately, neither of the two Indian opening batters could touch the three-figure mark. While Smriti Mandhana lost her wicket on 78, Shafali Verma returned to the pavilion after amassing 96 runs.

Twitterati praise Shafali Verma for her brilliant performance on Test debut

Although Shafali Verma could not smash a ton on her Test debut, cricket fans on Twitter were impressed by her performance. Some even compared her to former Indian men's team opener Virender Sehwag. Here are some of the top reactions to Verma's first Test innings.

What a debut by a star in the making. Dare I say, a star already. #ShafaliVerma . There will be many hundreds ahead.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 17, 2021

Shafali Verma missed out hundred by just 4 runs on her Test debut, 96 runs from 152 balls including 13 fours and 2 sixes. Well played, Shafali. The future is here. #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/T7o0J6OftM

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 17, 2021

What a day for the India women openers, firstly the debutant Shafali Verma scores a magnificent 96, then Smriti Mandhana scored 78. Shafali being just 17 and playing such beautiful knock deserves alot appreciation.

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) June 17, 2021

Time to repost this, with a few changes:Why is a 96, out, less valuable than a century?Be proud #ShafaliVerma.#Perception https://t.co/a3yCvr9ZG7

— Snehal Pradhan #MaskUp (@SnehalPradhan) June 17, 2021

Heartbreaking, missed 100 by 4 runs 💔Deserved the hundred, but what a stunning knock from 17 year old Shafali Verma. Entertaining knock, gave Sehwag vibes. 🔥 #ENGWvINDW pic.twitter.com/QdHywY68zw

— sohom (@AwaaraHoon) June 17, 2021

Shafali Verma will attract more people to watch women's test cricket : David Lloyd

— arfan (@Im__Arfan) June 17, 2021

Today she is showing why people's rates Shafali Verma is the future superstar. Definitely She is the Future of Indian women's cricket. pic.twitter.com/AbV5lenjY4

— CricketMAN2 (@man4_cricket) June 17, 2021

Indians out in the 90s on Test debut:-Men - Rahul Dravid in 1996Women - Shafali Verma in 2021Both did it against England in England.#ENGvIND

— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) June 17, 2021

#ENGvsIND test trending at 1.Shafali Verma trending at no. 5.This is the change. pic.twitter.com/0IHhYTIFxF

— The Cricket Philosopher (@outof22yards) June 17, 2021

You got to feel sad ☹️😢 #ENGvIND #ENGWvINDW pic.twitter.com/brbBcZORjL

— Female Cricket (@imfemalecricket) June 17, 2021

Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana's opening stand gave India Women the upper hand. However, the home team has pulled things back now. After dismissing Shafali in the 49th over, the England women's cricket team picked up four wickets inside the next ten overs to reduce India Women to 183/5.

Nat Sciver picked up the wicket of Smriti Mandhana in the 55th over before Punam Raut, Shikha Pandey and skipper Mithali Raj lost their wickets in quick succession. Heather Knight dismissed Raut and Pandey, while Sophie Ecclestone sent Raj back to the dressing room.

Harmanpreet Kaur and Deepti Sharma were unbeaten when India Women ended the day at 187/5. Despite Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana's fantastic partnership, the momentum is with England Women's side now. It will be interesting to see if the visitors can bounce back in the first session of Day 3.

The play will resume at 3:30 PM IST tomorrow. You can follow the live scorecard of the one-off Test between England Women and India Women right here.