Good Sports: INDIA’S 16-YEAR-OLD CRICKET PHENOM
The Indian women’s cricket team lost to Australia by 85 runs in the final of the recent 2020 Women’s T20 World Cup, but the tournament was a coming out party for 16-year-old Shafali Verma.
She finished the tournament with 163 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 158.25. She also temporarily held the top position on the International Cricket Council’s women’s T20 rankings for batting.
Shafali, who once pretended to be a boy to play cricket, is now playing in venues that most boys can only dream of.
“The last one month has been pretty special for me,” she wrote in a piece for Hindustan Times. “Not everyone is lucky to play in a World Cup with some of the best cricketers.”
She will not forget the hero’s welcome she received at her home in Rohtak, Haryana.
“There were dhols and music,” she wrote. “My relatives received me with garlands and I felt pretty special. It was like a dream after a special tournament.”
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge.
[Comments? Contributions? We would love to hear from you about Chai Time. If you have contributions, please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]
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