NEW DELHI: Young opener Shafali Verma considers leading India to victory in the inaugural U19 Women's World Cup as a significant milestone in her cricket journey.
In January 2023, Verma's exceptional leadership and batting prowess, amassing 172 runs throughout the tournament, steered India to triumph over England with a seven-wicket margin in the final match in South Africa.
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"Representing India in itself is a great honour. Being chosen to captain the Indian cricket team was icing on the cake, honestly. I was fortunate to have some of the finest talent in the age-group cricket from back home at my disposal," the ICC quoted Verma as saying in a release.
"While it was simply brilliant to lead that talented lot, it was more about playing together as a unit, sharing a solid camaraderie and making sure everyone is in great spirits as we looked to enjoy ourselves in the middle.
"Obviously, winning the tournament – the first of its kind in women's age-group cricket – as a captain will remain one of the best moments of my cricketing career; something that I will remember forever. It is safe to say that I was pretty emotional as we were about to lift that trophy and started to celebrate a special triumph," she added.
The second ICC U19 Women's T20 World Cup is scheduled in Malaysia from January 18 to February 2, with 16 nations participating.
The inaugural tournament introduced several talented Indian players to international cricket, notably leg-spinner Parshavi Chopra with 11 wickets and batter Shweta Sehrawat, who topped the run charts with 297 runs.
Verma emphasises that this competition provides an excellent platform for young cricketers to demonstrate their abilities and compete against international talent.
"It is a massive help to play in a tournament like this. It is a big opportunity to showcase your talent on the world stage. It has all the potential to fast track some of the young and promising cricketers to represent their respective countries with the senior teams," said the 20-year-old.
The tournament's third edition is confirmed for Bangladesh and Nepal in 2027, which Verma considers essential for women's cricket development.
"It is extremely crucial to have a U19 Women's tournament in a structure that only had senior women's tournaments before this," she said.
"It is a win-win for the age-group teams as well as the senior sides where you have a larger pool of players available for selection.
"There is healthy competition and that always is a welcome sign. The U19 Women's tournament structure is a need of the hour as it also acts as a crucial segway to move into the senior sides. So, it is not only massive for the age-group cricket but also for the overall growth of the game."
With Nepal, Nigeria, Samoa, Scotland and United States qualifying through regional competitions, Verma encourages the upcoming players to maximise this opportunity.
"My best wishes are with them. Having played the tournament in its first-ever edition, I can vouch for the fact that it will be a fantastic experience for the players who are going to take part in the second edition of this tournament," Verma said.
"The message for me for everyone who is going to be a part in this year's tournament is very simple: enjoy this experience and make the most of it. This could just be a start for something bigger but live in the moment and enjoy the process."
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