A debut is never easy. You worry about looking silly. You get a little more nervous than usual. But trying telling Shafali Verma that as she cruised to 96 on Test debut in England against a bowling attack that had Katherine Brunt, Anya Shrubsole, Natalie Sciver and Sophie Ecclestone.
It was a special innings by a special player. When she was finally dismissed, she looked gutted. She sat down for a bit beyond the boundary before reluctantly walked back to the dressing room.
Verman didn’t get her century but she shouldn’t mind it. She saw the opportunity when Cross went full, but the fielder in the deep gets to the ball in time as the Indian youngster mishit it. Still, this innings would have taught her many lessons that will stand her in good stead in the years to come.
Here are some reactions to the sensational knock:
Big wicket for England!@TheShafaliVerma falls just FOUR short of what would have been a sensational maiden Test hundred.
— ICC (@ICC) June 17, 2021
Batted, Shafali 👏#ENGvIND | https://t.co/Vzg0fwYsnc pic.twitter.com/nd8exRZykW
#ENGvIND🏏
— The Field (@thefield_in) June 17, 2021
A brilliant Test debut comes to an end just 4 runs short of a hundred, but what a knock from 17-year-old Shafali Verma!
📽️ England Cricketpic.twitter.com/fy46Baj12C
Shafali Verma, 17 years old, never played a first-class match before, walks out and bangs 96 on Test debut with her own T20 flair. Bloody brilliant. #EngvInd
— Geoff Lemon Sport (@GeoffLemonSport) June 17, 2021
Shafali Varma walks off to a standing ovation but a rush of blood to the head for the 17-year-old Test debutant sees her depart for 96. Real shame, some glorious shots in her innings. #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/6zRP68imnm
— Kalika (@Journo_K) June 17, 2021
Oohhhhh Shafali,,,,,,,,,well played though. Future is so bright.
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) June 17, 2021
Time to repost this, with a few changes:
— Snehal Pradhan #MaskUp (@SnehalPradhan) June 17, 2021
Why is a 96, out, less valuable than a century?
Be proud #ShafaliVerma.#Perception https://t.co/a3yCvr9ZG7
Getting caught trying to go for your maiden hundred with six on your Test debut >>>>>>>> a Test hundred
— Peter Miller (@TheCricketGeek) June 17, 2021
In Women's Tests, Shafali Verma is the:-
— Kausthub Gudipati (@kaustats) June 17, 2021
✔️ First Indian to hit 2 or more sixes in an innings
✔️ First player to hit 2 or more sixes on debut#INDvENG
Shafali Verma (17 years 140 days) just missed the record of becoming the youngest to score a hundred in Women's Test.
— Rajneesh Gupta (@rgcricket) June 17, 2021
The record is currently held by SL's Chamani Seneviratna. Shafali still has 2 years to beat the record (unless someone younger owns it before her).#ENGWvINDW
The term- ‘nervous nineties’ remains relevant!
— Anjum Chopra (@chopraanjum) June 17, 2021
Heartbreaking! But well played Shafali! 👏🏻👏🏻 A special knock on debut @TheShafaliVerma @BCCIWomen #ENGWvINDW
Oh no! Shafali Verma, 96 on Test debut at age 17. And you couldn’t look away for any of them. #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/QzavLLans8
— Adam Collins (@collinsadam) June 17, 2021
Outstanding knock 🔥@TheShafaliVerma Feel for her not getting the three digit score. Really impressed with this version of fearless Verma 👏👏#ENGvsIND @BCCIWomen
— Reema Malhotra (@ReemaMalhotra8) June 17, 2021
96💔 Well played! @TheShafaliVerma
— Wear a mask. Take your vaccine. (@prithinarayanan) June 17, 2021
Shafali seems quite Cross with herself 🤣 👀 🏏 @WCricketChat @katecross16 #ENGvIND #INDvENG
— Georgie Heath (@GeorgieHeath27) June 17, 2021
Shout out to the security who came near the staircase and clapped as Shafali Varma walked back to the dressing room.
— Sudatta (@iSudatta) June 17, 2021
Shafali Verma swung hard throughout the innings.
— Henry Moeran (@henrymoeranBBC) June 17, 2021
That she felt confident enough to keep the foot down when on 96 should be celebrated.
No hundred - a shame; the way she played - a triumph#bbccricket
Noooooooo 😢 #verma
— Ebony-Jewel Rainford-Brent MBE (@ejrainfordbrent) June 17, 2021
Could hear the collective sigh of a nation when she got out !! #ENGWvINDW
— Rohan Gavaskar (@rohangava9) June 17, 2021
More Test cricket for women please. More Test cricket for Shafali Verma.
— Sonali Dhulap (@pillya) June 17, 2021
More chances for her and all of them to show why they are so so good.
❤️❤️❤️#ENGvsIND #Test
#ENGvsIND test trending at 1.
— The Cricket Philosopher (@outof22yards) June 17, 2021
Shafali Verma trending at no. 5.
This is the change. pic.twitter.com/0IHhYTIFxF
And a young lady still too young to vote or get a drivers license instead gets a marvellous 96 on test debut. Well done @TheShafaliVerma!
— Joy Bhattacharjya (@joybhattacharj) June 17, 2021
If BCCI cannot make profit from Shafali Verma's batting, perhaps a revamp is in order.
— Abhishek Mukherjee (@SachinAzharCT) (@ovshake42) June 17, 2021