Team India Women's T20I skipper Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues and Deepti Sharma along with Shafali Verma are all set to feature in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. The right-handed opener will be seen playing for Birmingham Phoenix under the captaincy of Kiwi all-rounder Sophie Devine.
According to the sources, Shafali is the fifth Indian woman player to receive a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to play in the tournament. "It is a delightful news not just for Shafali but for Indian women's cricket that there will be five Indian players in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. She will re-unite with her Sydney Sixers coach Ben Sawyer and the experience should help her grow further in what has already been a very positive road forward for the youngster," the source added.
Meanwhile, Shafali said, "The reason behind the fast foot movement is the time. I spent with the Haryana men's team ahead of the Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament. I cannot thank the Haryana Cricket Association enough for allowing me to train with the team. What it did was that it helped my decision-making power at the crease as I was facing fast bowlers who were touching close to the 140kph mark. So, I had that extra second to decide if I wanted to go back or play off the front foot when I played the T20I series.
Shafali further said, "We had some top-quality bowlers in Mohit Sharma, Ashish Hooda. Ajeet Chahal, Sanjay Pahal and Aman Kumar among others". Apart from playing whirlwind knocks in the T20I series, she also looked to have improved her fitness. She once again thanked the HCA for helping the players."
