Mandhana Hails Verma's Resilience, Anticipates Explosive T20I Partnership Against England

Smriti Mandhana is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to once again open the batting with Shafali Verma, who has earned her place back in the Indian squad. This reunion is set against the backdrop of the five-match T20I series against England, commencing at Trent Bridge.

Mandhana expressed her enthusiasm on the eve of the series opener, while Lauren Bell, England's leading seamer, eagerly awaits the chance to bowl against her Southern Brave teammate.

Verma's comeback follows a period of inconsistent form, leading to her exclusion after India's early exit from the T20 World Cup and subsequent struggles in the ODI series against New Zealand.

Stepping in for an unwell Harmanpreet Kaur at the pre-match press conference, Mandhana lauded Verma's dedication to regaining her spot through strong performances in domestic cricket and the Women's Premier League (WPL). In the WPL, Verma showcased her aggressive batting style, amassing 304 runs at an impressive strike rate of 152.76.

"She's had an amazing year," Mandhana commented. "After facing that setback, she went back to domestic cricket, scored heavily, and had a fantastic WPL season."

Mandhana emphasized Verma's inherent talent and potential: "No one ever doubted her talent, especially considering how she burst onto the Indian team scene and dominated. She is, and always will be, a world-class player. The way she went back and performed in the last year was truly amazing to witness. She truly deserves this comeback, and I'm genuinely excited to open with her again."

Verma's domestic dominance included topping the run-scoring charts in both the Senior Women's One-Day Trophy (527 runs, 152.31 strike rate) and the Senior Women's One-Day Challenger Trophy (414 runs, 145.26 strike rate) while captaining Haryana.

Mandhana and Verma form a formidable opening pair in women's T20Is, holding the second-highest partnership run tally with 2636 runs at a run rate of 7.90.

Bell is eager to compete against Mandhana, her teammate from the Southern Brave in the Hundred. "I'm looking forward to bowling at Smriti," Bell stated. "Having played with her and faced her in net sessions, it will be a good challenge. Playing against the best always brings out the best in you."

Bell acknowledged the challenge posed by the Indian opening duo: "The last time I played India, it was always Smriti and Shafali opening. They're both very talented and play differently, so it is exciting. As an England player, you really look forward to these series and thrive off the challenge and how good the opposition are."

Reflecting on the previous summer, Bell discussed adjustments to her bowling action, now more upright, enabling her to swing the ball both ways. She expressed satisfaction with her progress but remains committed to further improvement.

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Bell: 'Looking forward to bowling at Mandhana'

"It normally brings the best out of you when you play against the best," she says

"I'm in a really good place and I feel really, really happy," Bell stated, adding, "But I don't think you can ever say you're complete as a bowler. There's always stuff that I want to get better at."

Bell was the leading wicket-taker in the T20I series against the West Indies, claiming seven wickets at an impressive average of 9.72 and an economy rate of 5.66.

While Bell acknowledges the tougher challenge India presents, she also highlighted the confidence gained by England's debutantes and those playing different roles during the West Indies series.

India's seam attack features new faces, with Kranti Goud and Sayali Satghare receiving their first T20I call-ups. The squad is without the experienced Renuka Singh and Pooja Vastrakar.

Mandhana expressed excitement about the new talent: "The WPL has been good in terms of finding new people, and the domestic system as well. All the girls have rich experience in the domestic format."

She added, "I'm really excited to see them. Young talent is always very exciting. Everyone's been prepping well, and what better place than England for a pacer to come in? They'll take a lot of lessons out of it, and I'm sure they'll do the job for the team."