Muzumdar: Shafali in contention for ODI World Cup 'without a doubt'

Shafali Verma has batted her way into the conversation surrounding India's squad selection for the home ODI World Cup later this year.

Dropped after India's group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup last October, Shafali was recalled for the T20I series against England, which India won 3-2, and re-established herself by finishing as the second-highest run-scorer behind opening partner Smriti Mandhana.

Shafali's 176 runs at 35.20 and a strike rate of 158.55 included scores of 20, 3, 47 and 31 and a 41-ball 75. Her two highest scores came in losing causes as England clinched last-ball victories at The Oval and Edgbaston, respectively.

On Saturday night, she brought up her fifty off just 23 balls, the joint-second-fastest for India Women alongside Mandhana, and behind only Richa Ghosh's 18 balls against West Indies last year.

Having helped her side go from 19 for 2 to 167 for 7, it took the highest successful chase in women's T20Is in England for the hosts to win it - and they only did so on the final delivery, despite a 101-run opening partnership between Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Sophia Dunkley.

Shafali is not part of the ODI series that will start in Southampton on Wednesday, but India's head coach Amol Muzumdar said she was "without a doubt" in contention for the ODI World Cup at home starting from September 30, although Pratika Rawal remains the incumbent.

"Shafali has been a terrific player. There's no doubt about it that she will be in the mix. She will be amongst the core group of India"Head coach Amol Muzumdar on Shafali Verma

Rawal averages 63.80 from 11 ODIs since making her debut at home against West Indies in December. She has a highest score of 154, at home against Ireland and five half-centuries.

"It just shows that we've got a lot of depth now in this India squad," Muzumdar said. "Pratika Rawal, she was drafted in the month of December, so it's almost six months, but she has left a mark, a big mark in her initial stage in her international career.

"So I think there's a lot of depth in this Indian line-up, a good headache to have as a coaching staff. And Shafali has been a terrific player. There's no doubt about it that she will be in the mix. She will be amongst the core group of India. There's no doubt in my mind about it. But at the moment, Pratika, she has joined the squad probably four or five days prior to the ODI. The depth is stronger, it's getting stronger."

While the ODI series will provide a better World Cup gauge for both teams, India were further encouraged by the development of left-arm spinner Shree Charani, who was named Player of the Series for the T20I leg of India's tour.

Charani was the leading wicket-taker with ten at 14.80 and an economy rate of 7.46, having only made her T20I debut in the opening match of the series, where she took 4 for 12. And while she conceded 35 runs while going wicketless in the final game, Muzumdar was pleased with her progress.

"She's been a find of the WPL," he said. "From the WPL, we identified her and then I think her progress has been fantastic, she's been phenomenal in this series. We were searching for a left-arm spinner and she's fitted the bill perfectly."

Kranti Goud, the 21-year-old right-arm seamer who made her T20I debut in Birmingham, having played just once for India before, in the final against hosts Sri Lanka in the ODI tri-series also involving South Africa in May, is part of the 50-over squad in England.

She made a nervy start to her T20I career when she took the new ball against England. Goud sent down three wides before bookending four dot balls with two singles off the bat. Harmanpreet Kaur, her captain, kept faith for a second over on the trot, which went for six runs in all, including four to Wyatt-Hodge, powered over midwicket, and Goud finished wicketless from three overs, which went for 26.

Muzumdar said he had "mixed feelings" about the fact that his side had outplayed England in three games but failed to clinch the two close ones.

Had Mandhana's shy at the stumps at the non-striker's end after Sophie Ecclestone had pushed towards mid-on and sprinted for the single England needed for victory off the last ball, the match could have gone to a Super Over.

But not only has the series result given India a maiden T20I series victory in England, it has given the visitors crucial data on what playing here for the T20 World Cup might be like 12 months from now.

"We had that in our mind when we came back from Sri Lanka and we started our preparation for this tour," Muzumdar said. "We were on the same page, all of us, including the selectors, thinking that there's a World Cup in 2026, same place, in England, so we've picked the squad accordingly. We've started on a good note, I guess, winning the T20 series here against England 3-2, that too the first time ever. So it's a pleasing result. The preparation has already started.

"The biggest takeaways, without a doubt, have been our bowling and our fielding. The batting has been a strength for a long time. A year and a half that I've been in charge, we've played some fearless cricket as far as batting is concerned. The two departments which we wanted to take care of were bowling and fielding, and in this series, it has shown the results."