Don't we all have that one person in our life who keeps us grounded? For Shafali Verma, it's her opening and senior partner Smriti Mandhana. Shafali has for long been known as someone who wants to go after every ball but, in Mandhana, she has a mature partner who keeps her "calm" by reminding her of other gears a batter can use.
Shafali hadn't had the best of form in T20Is this year, but against Netherlands on Wednesday, she scored her maiden T20 World Cup half-century in 16 innings across four editions. Shafali was the aggressor at the start of India's innings as she and Mandhana put on a century stand to help India post 209, en route to a 95-run victory.
"She keeps advising me, because I feel like hitting a six every ball, but she's the one who keeps me calm, tells me loose balls will come and I have to play along the ground too," Shafali said at the press conference. "So she keeps me calm and she spoke very well with me today, she was making me understand on every ball. So it felt great, we had a 100-plus partnership and we are trying to do the same in the upcoming matches.
"She has the best seat to tell me what I'm doing is right or wrong, and then even I have the best seat to tell her which bowler I can take on. We both know who should take the strike when there's an offspinner, or when there's a left-arm spinner. We have been playing with each other for many years, so we both know about each other a lot."
India's opening partnership had been a concern coming into the T20 World Cup, as Shafali and Mandhana had put on stands of only 19, 0 and 27 in the bilateral series against England. Mandhana, being the senior player and the vice-captain, had vowed at the time to work in the nets along with Shafali, saying they both had a "huge role to play" in the T20 World Cup.
"Of course, as you said in the England series, we couldn't get the kind of partnerships that we wanted," Shafali said on Wednesday. "But, of course, we were both talking a lot and helping each other on how we can build a strong partnership. After the previous match I worked a lot in the nets and tried to play along the ground, controlled myself mentally. And we had a very good partnership today. With God's grace, we have both got a lot of confidence before a crucial match [against South Africa]. And we all know how many crucial matches there are now. We both are ready for that."
The one thing Shafali barely did in those bilateral T20Is against England was bowl her part-time spin, but in the two games so far against Pakistan and Netherlands, she has taken figures of 1 for 22 and 3 for 20. In Leeds, she also achieved the rare feat of becoming only the third player to score a fifty and take a three-for in a women's T20 World Cup game, after Hayley Matthews and Sune Luus.
"Of course, I like bowling, I enjoy my bowling and I try to contribute as much as I can to the team," Shafali said. "We just want to lift the cup, no matter who performs well. Day by day, and in different matches, we will see new heroes. We are all backing each other and we are all very focused on the World Cup."
It might have been in a different format, but it was three World Cup matches and seven months ago - against South Africa in last year's ODI World Cup final - that Shafali last scored a half-century. On that occasion, she starred in another century partnership with Mandhana, before taking two wickets in two overs to be named the Player of the Match. India will now face the same opponents on Sunday as the race for this year's semi-finals heats up in the coming days.
"I would love to be the Player of the Match again, but every day is different," Shafali said, looking ahead to Sunday. "I will go with confidence, no doubt. I know a lot about the bowlers, I have played with Marizanne Kapp so many times [for Delhi Capitals in the WPL], so I know how to react in front of her."
