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Delhi Capitals opening batter Shafali Verma credited skipper Meg Lanning for helping her overcome initial nervousness ahead of their first game in the Women's Premier League (WPL). The youngster underlined that they tried to keep it simple and play according to their strengths.
Verma and her opening partner sizzled in the Capitals' opening encounter against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as their 162-run opening stand set the base for 223 in 20 overs. Verma notably top-scored with 84 off 45 balls, hitting 10 boundaries and four maximums.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, the 19-year-old revealed that her 'good friend' Lanning advised her to bat responsibly and it calmed her nerves.
"I was a bit nervous at the start," Verma stated. "The experience of playing with Lanning was good, she’s a good friend of mine and she told me to be responsible with the bat. We just wanted to play good shots and play according to our strength. You feel happy when you get to a landmark, yes, happy with the total."
After an opening stand of 162, Jemimah Rodrigues and Marizanne Kapp added 60 off 31 deliveries to provide the finishing touches. However, Tara Norris was comfortably the Player of the Match, returning with figures of 4-0-29-5, helping her side restrict Mumbai to 163/8.
"Was fun watching Shafali bat from the other end" - Meg Lanning
Meg Lanning, who recently captained Australia to their sixth T20 World Cup crown, underlined that they had to bowl well as the wicket was good to bat on. The 30-year-old batter, who mustered 72, said:
"We felt like it was a good score but it was such a good wicket so we knew we had to bowl well. It’s great to begin the tournament with a win. We were thinking about our bowling but we weren’t too concerned about the batting. It was fun watching Shafali bat from the other end. We were smiling all the time."
The Royal Challengers were under pressure from the outset, needing to score over 10 an over. Skipper Smriti Mandhana, Ellyse Perry, Heather Knight, and Megan Schutt scored quick-fire 30s but fell short by 60 runs.
The Capitals will next face the UP Warriorz on Tuesday, March 7, while the Royal Challengers will lock horns with the Gujarat Giants on Wednesday, March 8.
