'Vice-Captaincy Is Not Just A Title,' Says Shafali Verma Ahead Of IND W Vs ZIM W 1st T20I

Raipur, Oct 15: Newly appointed T20I vice-captain Shafali Verma revealed on Thursday that her role in the Indian team leadership group extends far beyond just being the vice-captain. Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Shafali emphasized that the Indian team is aiming to play a fearless yet smart brand of T20 cricket in next year's Champions Trophy, which will be hosted in Mumbai and Vadodara from February 2027. Smriti Mandhana will take charge as the team captain for the tournament.

Shafali, who has previously captained the Indian Under-19 team in the World Cup, shared her thoughts on the responsibilities that come with vice-captaincy. She stressed the importance of taking care of every player and ensuring they are in a good headspace. "Just talking about vice-captaincy, I have done captaincy in the Under-19 World Cup as well.

So, I have that experience. I know vice-captaincy is not just a title. It's a big responsibility. I know we have to just take care of each and every player and make them in a very good headspace," Shafali said.

The vice-captain also paid tribute to former captain Harmanpreet Kaur for her role in the growth of women's cricket. "Harman di has done a lot of growth to women's cricket. The current shape of women's cricket, it's just all about Harman di only. So, just thanks to her and just talking about how we have to move forward in women's cricket. First of all, we have to play a fearless brand of cricket in T20, with smartness as well," she added.

Shafali's resurgence in form can be traced back to the hard work she put in after being dropped from the ODI side in 2025. She credits her comeback to the focus she put on herself during that period. "When Pratika got injured, I got a direct call to be back in the team. Luckily, at that time I was playing state T20 games from Haryana. So, I worked a lot on myself in 2025 and I think that hard work which I did in 2025, it gave me lots of help right now," she said.

The Indian team, now captained by Smriti Mandhana, will prepare for the inaugural six-team Champions Trophy in Mumbai and Vadodara in February 2027. The team has already mapped out its approach for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe in the T20I format.