Shafali Verma has credited Smriti Mandhana for bringing calm and clarity to India Women’s opening combination, after the duo starred in a dominant 95-run win over the Netherlands Women in the 2026 Women’s T20 World Cup. Their partnership once again showed why India’s top order remains one of the strongest in the tournament.
Shafali said Mandhana’s biggest strength is how she keeps herself grounded at the crease. While the young opener naturally looks to attack from the first ball, Mandhana repeatedly reminds her to stay patient, wait for the right delivery and keep the scoreboard ticking with smart batting. That balance worked perfectly as the pair put India in control with a fluent opening stand.
The 22-year-old Shafali brought up her maiden T20I half-century, while Mandhana played the senior role to perfection with a classy 47-ball 74, which eventually earned her the Player of the Match award. Together, they added 115 runs for the first wicket off just 71 balls and powered India to a commanding total of 209 in 20 overs.
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“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. 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,” Shafali Verma said in the press conference via ESPNcricinfo.
Verma also highlighted how valuable it is to open with a batter who understands her game so well. According to her, years of batting together have helped both players know each other’s strengths, weaknesses and preferred match-ups. That understanding makes it easier to rotate strike, target the right bowlers and adapt quickly to the conditions.
“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,” she added.
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With back-to-back wins, India Women now sit top of Group 1 with four points from two matches. Their next challenge comes against South Africa Women at Old Trafford in Manchester on Sunday, June 21, in a match that could be crucial in the race for the knockout stage.
