Inspiring to see Chamari handle the pressure and perform for SL: Shafali

Indian batter Shafali Verma played a gritty knock of 32 runs to help India chase down 106 on the day. Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh also contributed with their efforts in Dubai.

The Indian women's cricket team finally got their first win of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2024 when they beat arch-rivals Pakistan by 6 wickets on October 6 at the Dubai International Stadium. They will be facing Sri Lanka next in the group stage and hope to get another 2 points on the table.

Indian batter Shafali Verma played a gritty knock of 32 runs to help India chase down 106 on the day. Smriti Mandhana and Renuka Singh also contributed with their efforts and hope to better their performances in the remaining games.

Shafali Verma on Chamri Athapaththu

 

In an interview with Star Sports, Shafali talked about her future opponents in the tournament, especially Sri Lankan veteran skipper Chamari Athapaththu, who has been representing her nation for a while now.

“There was a time when Chamari was the one scoring most of the runs and taking wickets, but in the Asia Cup, her entire team performed well. They’ve improved a lot, which is why they won the cup. Chamari carries the pressure of being a key player, and it’s inspiring to see how she handles it and performs for her country,” Shafali said about Chamari's impact on her team.

Smriti Mandhana on India's remaining matches

Speaking to Star Sports, Smriti Mandhana explained how important the remaining fixtures in the World Cup group stage are for the Women in Blue.

"As a player, all games are important to us. When you come to the World Cup, you have to give 100 per cent in each game. Sri Lanka is a good team in our group. But with Australia, you know that you can’t make errors, and you have to minimise them and get your best game out on that particular day to get the better of them. So, yeah, there is excitement to do that on that day because they are a really good team, so to come up against them and beat them," Smriti said.

Renuka Singh claims to have a plan to dismiss Athapaththu

Indian pacer Renuka Singh, who took one wicket against Pakistan, also spoke about how dangerous Sri Lanka's Athapaththu is as a batter in T20Is and claimed that she has a plan to get the SL skipper out when they face Sri Lanka in the next group stage match.

"Chamari Athapaththu is very interesting. She's the only one from Sri Lanka who takes the team to the other side. I try to get her out as soon as possible because if she is set, she can take over the match. So I have a plan on how to get her out," Renuka said.