Shafali Verma is an Indian cricketer. She holds the record for being the youngest T20 cricketer ever played for India.
Wiki/Biography
Shafali Verma was born on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 (age: 19 years, as of 2023) in Rohtak, Haryana. Her zodiac sign is Aquarius. She studied at Mandip Higher Secondary School, Rohtak. In 2018, at the age of 14, she was selected for the Haryana Under-16 women’s team for her outstanding performance and strong batting skills. In a match against Nagaland, she scored 128 runs off 56 balls. In the Women’s T20 Challenge held in May 2019, she played for the “IPL Velocity” team under the captaincy of veteran Mithali Raj, where she once again showcased her skills and made her presence felt. With her outstanding performance, she was selected for the national team and made her T20 International debut against South Africa on September 24, 2019.
appearance
Height (approximate): 5′ 4″
Eye color: Black
Hair color: Black
Shafali Verma in Melbourne CBD
Family and caste
Shafali Verma was born into a Hindu family. Her father, Sanjeev Verma, runs a jewellery shop in Rohtak, Haryana. Sanjeev had dreams of becoming a cricketer and he played an important role in the development of Shafali Verma’s cricket career. He initially trained Shafali for three years before enrolling her in the Ram Narayan Cricket Club in Rohtak in 2016. Her mother, Praveen Bhalla, is a housewife. Shafali has two siblings, a younger brother and an older brother, Sahil Verma, who also plays cricket.
Shafali Verma’s family photo, from left to right: Praveen Bala (mother), Nancy Verma (sister), Sanjeev Verma (father), Shafali Verma and Rahul Verma (brother)
Profession
On 24 September 2019, Shafali became India’s youngest international cricket debutant when she made her WT20I debut against South Africa at the age of 15. In November 2019, just two months after her international debut, she managed to break the 30-year-old record held by her idol and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar when she blasted 73 off 49 balls against the West Indies, becoming the youngest ever international half-century scorer (aged 15 years and 285 days). For her outstanding performance, Verma was selected in the Indian team for the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup in Australia. She was subsequently awarded a Grade C player contract by the BCCI. In May 2021, Verma was selected in the Indian Test and Women’s One-Day International (WODI) squads for the series against the England women’s cricket team. On 16 June 2021, she made her Test debut against England, where she scored 96 in the first innings; the match ended in a draw, with Shafali scoring 159 in both innings and becoming the Man of the Match. On 27 June 2021, she made her ODI debut against England, becoming the youngest Indian cricketer (male or female) to debut in all three formats of international cricket. In February 2023, Delhi Capitals bought her for Rs 2 crore at the inaugural WPL auction.
Facts/Trivia
- Wicketkeeper-batsman Shafali started playing cricket in 2012 when she was just 8 years old. Her father taught her batting with a tennis ball. He also used to take her to the local courts to practice hitting sixes and he would reward Shafali with Rs 5 for every six she hit. Shafali thanks her father for supporting her in her early days of cricket training and ensuring that nothing stood in her way.
- Teenage prodigy Shefali Verma once cut her hair and disguised herself as her ailing brother Sahil Verma to represent him in the Under-12 School National Championship held in Panipat. She seized the opportunity and not only played a key role in the team’s title win, but was also named the Player of the Series.
- Shafali, a fierce batsman, initially trained with the women’s team of the academy, but due to her excellent skills with the ball, the coach decided to promote her to the elite group, where she started playing with the under-19 boys. Her coach Ashwani Kumar said in an interview,
A player’s batting ability starts developing at the age of 15 and Shafali already had this talent when he was 11-12 years old.
- Shafali was born into a cricket-loving family. However, her interest in the sport grew stronger when she and her father went to watch Sachin Tendulkar’s last Ranji Trophy match at the Chaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Lahli, Haryana in 2013. She also waited outside the guest house where Sachin was staying but unfortunately, did not get a chance to meet the legend. Since then, she has always admired Sachin’s batting skills.
- Fearless batting talent Shafali Verma climbed the ladder to top the ICC Women’s T20 International Rankings during the ICC Women’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2020. Although the Indian women’s team lost to Australia in the final, Shafali set another record by becoming the youngest player ever to play in a Cricket World Cup final.
Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana bat for India during the 2020 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education