Kept calm and played along the ground: Shafali

Shafali Verma

India opener Shafali Verma gave credit to head coach Amol Mazumdar for guiding her approach in the second T20I against Sri Lanka, which the hosts won by seven wickets.

"The coach told me to play along the ground initially and then go for aerial shots. I kept myself calm, tried to play along the ground, and the ball was coming on nicely. I know I can score runs if I play the ball on the ground," said Verma after her Player of the Match performance (69 not out off 34 balls).

The dashing opener also reflected on her period of previous inconsistency which saw her dropped from the ODI World Cup squad - she would later come back in the semi-final as an injury replacement for Pratika Rawal, and go on to play match-winning knocks as India clinched their maiden title.

"Cricket always teaches you things. It's important to accept your weaknesses. That's the only way you can improve," said Verma.

The Indians have been sloppy on the field of late, dropping catches that ought to be taken, but Shafali said the team has been working very hard to improve in that vital department of the game with the World Cup scheduled next summer in the UK.

"Everyone is very keen to work hard. We all know next year is the T20 World Cup, and we are paying attention to every small detail. As you said, we missed catches in the first match. But everyone is putting in the effort and are thinking of improving." The third T20I will be played on Friday at Thiruvananthapuram. India currently lead the series 2-0.

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