Shafali and Smriti during their century stand against the Dutch.
| Photo Credit: AFP
Smriti Mandhana got a welcome fifty for India in the opening match against Pakistan at Edgbaston. Her opening partner Shafali scored a fifty against the Netherlands at Headingley that was even more welcome.
The younger one of the most feared opening duos in women’s cricket needed that knock as much as her team. For India to have a strong campaign in the ICC T20 World Cup, Shafali’s quick runs at the top of the order would be extremely handy.
She is a fearless batter. She is a bit restless, too, and would love to hit every ball for a six. But her senior partner would have none of it. And Shafali listens to Smriti’s advice. She admitted as much after their 115-run stand helped India post a comfortable victory against the Netherlands.
“She keeps me calm,” said Shafali. “She asks me to play along the ground. She has the best seat where she could tell me what is right or wrong with my shots. I also tell her about her batting.”
Playing together for so long has helped. “We have been playing with each other for so many years, we both know who needs to be on strike for a specific bowler. We also know how to rotate the strike,” said Shafali.
She said it felt good to have a big partnership after failing to get one in the series in England prior to the World Cup. “We were both talking about it,” she revealed. “After the previous match, I worked a lot in the nets and tried to mentally control myself. We have many crucial matches coming up and we both are ready to tackle them.”
And, yes, she is enjoying being the golden arm for the team. “I would like to contribute as much as I can,” she smiled. “We just have to lift that World Cup”.
Published – June 18, 2026 10:01 pm IST
