Snehasis Mukherjeen Navi Mumbai
Shafali Verma and Richa Ghosh were in focus as India trained at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai, ahead of their semi-final clash against Australia.
After being named as the replacement for injured Pratika Rawal, Shafali arrived in Navi Mumbai last night and had a full net session today. The training began with a warm-up routine followed by catching drills, where players took turns practicing both flat and high catches.
Once that was done, the team moved to their net sessions. There was one net set up on the main ground and two more beside it. On the main ground, Richa Ghosh, who had injured her finger against New Zealand, started with some light catching drills with her gloves. Later, she did wicketkeeping practice with fielding coach Munish Bali, facing deliveries from net bowlers.
After a short session, Richa had a long chat with Bali before leaving the field for a while. She returned later to bat alongside Jemimah Rodrigues in the main nets, where they faced Renuka Singh Thakur, Kranti Gaud, Radha Yadav, and Deepti Sharma. Each bowler bowled an over with a different field setup, actively discussing it with bowling coach Aavishkar Salvi. Deepti also spent extra time practicing slip catches.
In the side nets, Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana batted together in one, while Shafali Verma and Harleen Deol batted in the other. Harmanpreet and Smriti faced N Shree Charani, Arundhati Reddy, some net bowlers, and throwdowns. Similarly, Shafali and Harleen faced Amanjot Kaur, Sneh Rana, and a few others.
For More Exciting Articles: Follow RevSportz
Shafali looked in good touch, playing her trademark attacking shots along with some innovative ramps and delicate touches outside off stump. She is coming into the squad after an impressive Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, where she scored 341 runs in seven innings for Haryana, including two fifties and a century.
Harleen, however, looked slightly off rhythm as one of the pacers clean-bowled her, hitting the top of off stump. Uma Chetry also had her regular wicketkeeping drills followed by a batting session.
Before all the nets began, a long chat lasting around 10–12 minutes took place between Smriti, Harmanpreet, Shafali, head coach Amol Muzumdar, and a few others. Smriti seemed animated, likely discussing India’s batting approach against the Aussies.
Meanwhile, in the Australian camp, the team went through their regular batting, bowling, and fielding drills. The major focus, though, was on skipper Alyssa Healy’s fitness. She had missed the last two games due to a calf strain. Today, she underwent a fitness test, running between cones with pads on to simulate running between the wickets.
Later, Healy batted comfortably, timing the ball well, and also had a wicketkeeping session. Her rhythm and movement suggested that she is on the right track, and if she continues to progress in this way, she is likely to return against India in the semifinal.
Also Read: India vs Australia: Key battles that could decide the semi-final