“No one drops the catch on purpose”. Shafali Verma takes on costly dropped catches ahead of Australia Cricket News clash:
India opener Shafali Verma believes India will have to keep things simple when they take on Australia in a must-win match at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.Sunday’s matches will decide which teams in Group A will reach the semi-finals. South Africa, on six points, will face Bangladesh, who have four points. India, who also have six points, will face unbeaten Australia, who have eight points.
If South Africa defeats Bangladesh, India must defeat Australia to qualify for the semi-finals. However, Australia can still get through even if they lose because they have eight points and a better net run rate.Speaking to JioStar, Shafali said that India is confident of beating Australia after winning a T20I series there before the World Cup.“Everyone knows Australia is a world-class team. But it’s not like we haven’t beaten them before. We recently beat them in a T20 series in Australia, and that gives us confidence,” he said.India beat Australia 2-1 in the three-match series, and Shafali believes knowing the opposition will help.“We have been playing against them for many years now. We know their bowlers, their strengths, and their plans. So, we will keep things straight, which is important, and bring back our own strength.The opener, who scored two fifties in his last three innings, said he changed his mind after the match against Pakistan.“A lot of things have improved in my batting. Before the Pakistan match, I was overthinking. I was planning a lot, how I would play the first ball, what shot I would play the second ball,” he said.“But after the game, I realized that I don’t need to complicate things. I just need to keep it simple. When I hit, I look at the ball and react. I don’t plan too far.Apart from batting, Shafali also contributed with the ball. He has bowled the new ball in recent matches, returning figures of 1 for 22 against South Africa, including the wicket of Tazmin Brits, after taking 3 for 20 against the Netherlands.He said captain Harmanpreet Kaur gave him a clear role.“Harman kept making my role very clear. He told me that I have to bowl in the powerplay. So, I’m working on that in the nets as well. I’m bowling with the new ball, focusing on hitting the right places, and trying to keep the ball around the stumps.“As an opener, I know that if you bowl outside the stumps, you give the batter room to score. So, I always try to bowl as per my expectations as an opener, what line and length bothers me. I kept that in mind; tight lines, stumping, and making the batter work for runs,” he said.India’s fielding came under scrutiny after several dropped catches during the tournament, but Shafali supported his teammates.“Everybody is thinking about giving their 100 percent. Nobody is dropping catches or wrong intentions. Sometimes it’s just not your day, the ball doesn’t stick, the timing isn’t there, or the bounce surprises you.”“But we always support the player who has a tough day, on and off the field. Our preparation is good. We have two days of practice before this match against Bangladesh. We do fielding drills together as a team, half an hour of focused catching and ground fielding.“So, I wouldn’t say we didn’t prepare well. We did everything we could. It was just about the day. Some days things clicked, some days they didn’t. That’s part of the game,” he said.
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