"Maybe she is not getting that co-ordination right" - WV Raman on Indian opener Shafali Verma's struggles against slower deliveries 

Shafali Verma in action for India. Image source: BCCI Women/Twitter
Shafali Verma in action for India. Image source: BCCI Women/Twitter

WV Raman, the former coach of the Indian women's cricket team, has backed explosive opening batter Shafali Verma to overcome her weakness of countering slower deliveries.

Raman acknowledged that the sudden change of pace has troubled Verma occasionally, but is confident that the talented youngster will work on her game. During a recent media interaction, the cricketer-turned-coach remarked on Verma's possible lack of coordination while trying to adjust to the reduced pace of the delivery.

However, Raman feels the Indian opener will learn from her mistakes and come back stronger. The 56-year-old commended the dynamic opener's dedication to the game. He mentioned that she always utilizes her time-offs to work on various aspects of her batting. Raman reassured fans that Verma is bound to overcome the phase soon.

"Maybe she is not getting that co-ordination right of slowing things down suddenly when it comes to keeping in sync with the pace of the delivery. She is one who looks to play shots all the time. So perhaps, even if she spots a slower delivery, she is not able to slow down her moments or bat flow. But she'll learn. Let's not forget the fact that she is one cricketer, who whenever she gets some time off in international series, she works on some aspect of her batting."

"You can't leave it till too late" - WV Raman urges Indian batters to play with more intent in ODIs

Raman opined that India's approach of starting slow and accelerating in the latter overs in ODIs is not going to be fruitful on all occasions. He put emphasis on improving running between the wickets. Raman believes posting an imposing total upfront automatically puts the opposition on the backfoot and that is the path India should follow.

"Playing out initially and making it up towards the end is not going to work every time you walk out. It will not be a recipe for success every time you play a one-day game. It could have worked under a certain set of circumstances, but more often than not it's not working, because you can't leave it till too late."

The Indian women's team will next be seen in action on Thursday, October 7. Harmanpreet Kaur and co. are slated to lock horns with hosts Australia in ther 1st T20I of their three-match series in Queensland.

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Edited by Anantaajith Raghuraman