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15-Year-Old Shafali Verma Breaks Sachin’s 30 Year-Old Record; Powers India To 10-wicket Win

byStorypickers
11th November 2019
2 minute read

Indian opener Shafali Verma achieved historic feat as she became the youngest Indian to score an International half-century. She broke Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record, who had scored his maiden International fifty when he was 16 years and 214 days old.

Shafali, who is 15 years and 285 days old, surpassed Sachin’s 30-year-old record by scoring 73 runs off 49 balls in the first T20I against West Indies. She is now the second-youngest batswoman to score an international fifty in T20 cricket after UAE’s Kavisha Egodage, who was 15 years and 267 days when she achieved the milestone.

Growing up in Haryana, Shafali idolized Sachin as a kid. She always dreamt of being a cricketer like him. However, she had to go through a lot of hardships to gain acceptance from a society that doesn’t consider cricket as a women’s sport. According to TOI reports, she had to be enrolled in the guise of a boy after being refused admission in the city’s cricket academies since she was a girl. But she made her mark, in just her second outing, by smashing 46 off just 33 balls against South Africa, last month.

In yesterday’s match, she scored her second consecutive half-century. Shafali alongside Smriti Mandhana (30) powered India to a 2-0 lead in the five-match series against the West Indies in the T20 International. The Indian women’s cricket team had a smashing 10-wicket win as Shafali scored a quick-fire 69 off 35 balls. She displayed scintillating form as always and smashed 10 fours and two sixes steering her team to victory.

At just 15 years old, this girl has already created history. And, we are pretty sure this is just the beginning. You go, girl!

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