Was including Shafali Verma in the U19 Women’s World Cup squad for India the right call?

We explain why making Shafali Verma the captain of the Indian team in the U19 Women's World Cup was probably not the right call to take.

Plenty of eyebrows were raised when India’s squad for the very first edition of the ICC Women’s U19 World Cup was announced in the first week of December 2022. Shafali Verma, with 74 international appearances for the senior national side to her name already, was declared as the captain of the Indian team heading into the World Cup.

18-year-old Verma is not the only senior player to be included in India’s squad as wicketkeeper Richa Ghosh, who has also featured in 47 international games in her fledgling career, was also named in the squad.

The decision to include both these senior players in the squad for the World Cup which to be held in South Africa was certainly surprising given that they already play for their country on a regular basis. The policy of the Indian selectors was also in sharp contrast to England’s criteria who consciously decided to leave out senior players in Alice Capsey and Freya Kemp out of the squad for the U19 World Cup.

Even among Indian fans, Verma and Ghosh’s selections in the U19 squad were met with mixed responses and certain criticisms. It was rightly pointed out that while the inclusion of these two senior players shows a clear priority from India to win the inaugural U19 Women’s World Cup, U19 cricket is an essential part of developmental cricket where the growth of players should actually take priority over winning and getting results.

Hence, Indian selectors ended up picking a squad that has greater chances of winning the U19 World Cup instead of helping young teenagers in U19 women’s cricket given that two spots in the squad have already been taken by players who feature in international cricket regularly.

Instead of Verma and Ghosh, another opening batter and wicketkeeper could’ve been included who would’ve probably found the experience of the World Cup life-changing. The limelight that this particular tournament is set to offer and the pressure that the players are likely to face over the course of the competition would've gone a long way in helping them improve their game and nurturing their raw ability.

The same cannot be said for Shafali Verma who has already been playing at a very high level ever since she made her debut for the Indian national team in 2019. By now, she’s a consistent feature in India’s white-ball setup and has earned plenty of plaudits for her explosive ability at the top of the batting order.

The 18-year-old has played 51 T20Is scoring 1231 runs at an average of 24.62 and at a strike rate of 134.53 and she has also taken six wickets in this format. In ODI cricket, Verma has played 21 games, scoring 531 runs at an average of 26.55. She was also extremely impressive in the two Test matches she has played so far and possesses a splendid average of 60.50.

As such, she doesn’t have much to gain from the U19 Women’s World Cup. While it’s true that she does have her fair share of weaknesses while batting, as is common for anyone her age, and that the last couple of years have been erratic in her career, the solution to improving lies at the very top level and not at the U19 World Cup.

Yes, doing well and winning the U19 Women’s World Cup under her captaincy may help the young star batter gain much-needed confidence going into international cricket over the next 11 months, but the chances of upskilling herself or finding helpful experiences are rare.

Furthermore, both Verma and Ghosh will be missing from India’s senior squad that will take part in the tri-series against West Indies and South Africa in the build-up to the Women’s T20 World Cup which takes place in February 2023. This is likely to hamper their preparation for that main tournament where Verma is expected to play a crucial role. Her partnership with Smriti Mandhana while opening is a pivotal cog in the Indian T20I setup.

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup gets underway merely 12 days after the final of the U19 Women’s World Cup. Therefore, even from the point of view of workload management as well as preparation, it doesn’t seem like a positive move for the team.