Mumbai: Legendary Indian cricketers Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag have heaped praises on young Shafali Verma, who has been in a great form in the ongoing ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
The 16-year-old batswoman on Thursday won her second Player of the Match award in three games at the ongoing tournament. Her 34-ball 46 against New Zealand took India to their third win in three games - and the semi-final.
Shafali had the most sixes (8) to her name and scored 114 runs, so far in the tournament. At an age of 16, she has already scripted a new record.
No player has ever scored more runs at a higher strike rate at a single World Cup than the teenage prodigy with 172.72. Her brilliant run at the World Cup drawing praise from the world of Cricket who is watching her closely.
''Fantastic performance by our Indian team to become the first team to enter the semi-finals of T20 World Cup. It was a tight game and we played well under pressure. Great to see Shafali Verma play yet another crucial knock," Tendulkar tweeted."Thank you sir for your kind words and support! I'll keep giving my best for the team sir," Shafali responded.
"Wah bhai Wah! Great effort by the girls to hold on to their nerves and beat New Zealand and qualify for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup. Shafali Verma is a rockstar. Anand aa raha hai ladkiyon ka performance dekhne mein," Sehwag tweeted.
To this, the 16-year-old prodigy responded, "Appreciate your kind words sir. Your support means a lot to us. Thank you."
Meanwhile, former Indian captain Diana Edulji also praised Shafali and said, "Shafali is a player, who will draw the crowd to watch the women's game. It's not good to compare, but she reminds me of Virender Sehwag. Her attacking approach brings freshness to women's cricket," she added. India will now take on Sri Lanka in their final Group A game on Saturday, at Manuka Oval in Canberra.(UNI)
