SHAFALI VERMA IN A LEAGUE OF HER OWN

In conversation with Man's World India as a part of the Hyundai Drive Within campaign, Shafali Verma opens up about her historic double century, her fearless brand of cricket, and more

On an overcast day in Mumbai as the hours of light rain turn into heavy downpours, the swashbuckling Indian cricketer Shafali Verma walks out of her vanity van, unperturbed by the thick droplets falling overhead and a throng of people around her. She makes her way inside the studio, briskly. Before you realise, she is in her element, listening to the instructions, attentively, and doing what's being asked of her. There's a sense of minimalism about the way she carries herself, and I can't help but wonder how much of her cricket is an extension of her real-life personality. Once the photo shoot is over, she saunters to the corner, observing the bustle of a studio, and walking only when summoned by her team for make-up or hairstyling. Her demeanour and gait mirror her approach to batting, where she hardly makes a movement that she deems unnecessary. It's not stiffness but her style. It's not a defect but design. It's the sheer bravery and belief in her game, that her strength is enough to propel the ball over the boundary line.