"It has been the Meg Lanning effect"- Former Indian cricketer on Shafali Verma's performances for DC in WPL 2023

Former Indian cricketer Reema Malhotra believes the improvement in Shafali Verma's batting and fielding so far in WPL 2023 has been due to Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Meg Lanning.

Malhotra feels Lanning has an incredible ability to manage her players and get the best out of them. A lot has been said about Shafali's inconsistency with the bat and her lethargic fielding. However, the star Indian player is now seen putting in a lot of effort on the field.

Here's what Reema Malhotra, who is also a WPL expert for JioCinema and Sports18, had to say about Meg Lanning while replying to a Sportskeeda query:

"It has been the Meg Lanning effect (Shafali’s improvement). I had said before too that if ever you want to appoint an overseas captain for a WPL side, it has to be Meg Lanning. She has the experience of winning World Cups as a captain, something Mooney and Healy don’t have."

Reema Malhotra is also hopeful that Shafali Verma will learn the art of being consistent with the bat from the Australian World Cup winner. She added:

"The change in Shafali was visible in the first innings that she played. You could see that calmness in her approach and was taking calculative risks because Lanning was scoring runs from the other end."

"The shot selection was really good too," Malhotra continued. "The one thing that I hope she learns from Lanning is consistency. She scored big in the first game but failed in the next two. She needs to play her natural game but also score consistently. She is putting effort in her fielding and I feel after this WPL, there will be a lot of improvement in a number of Indian players."

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Reema Malhotra on Indian all-rounder Sneh Rana's captaincy

Reema Malhotra feels the Gujarat Giants (GG) should have announced Sneh Rana as their full-time captain as she believes Indian captains understand the domestic players better.

The former cricketer shed light on how GG's performances have improved ever since Rana took over the reins from the injured Beth Mooney.

"I rate Sneh Rana highly as a captain," she stated. "I feel in the initial years of WPL, you need an Indian captain because if not then how will you get the best out of your domestic players? How will you know who is better and what they have to offer? It’s not Mooney’s fault because she just arrived a week ago. Sneh Rana’s appointment has been a blessing in disguise for Gujarat as you can see them performing well."

The Giants will be hoping that the arrival of Proteas star Laura Wolvaardt strengthens their squad even further.