India opener Shafali Verma believes that India will have to keep things simple when they face Australia in a must-win match in the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.Sunday’s matches will decide which teams from Group A will reach the semi-finals. South Africa with 6 points will face Bangladesh with 4 points. India, who also have six points, will take on unbeaten Australia, who have eight points.
If South Africa can beat Bangladesh, India will have to beat Australia to reach the semi-finals. Australia, however, can go through despite a loss as they have eight points and a better run.Speaking on JioStar, Shafali said that India is confident of defeating Australia after winning the T20I series there before the World Cup.“Everyone knows that Australia is the best team in the world. But it’s not like we haven’t beaten them before. We recently beat them in the T20 series in Australia, and that gives us confidence,” he said.India defeated Australia 2-1 in three matches, and Shafali believes familiarity with the opposition will help.“We have been playing with them for many years now. We know their bowlers, their strengths, and their goals. So, we will keep things straight, which is important, and restore our strength. The more you think, the more difficult it is.”The opener, who scored two fifties in his last three innings, said he changed his mind after the match against Pakistan.“A lot of things have changed in my batting. Before the Pakistan match, I was thinking a lot. I was preparing a lot, how to play the first ball, how to shoot the second ball,” he said.“But after the game, I realized that I don’t have to mess things up. I just have to keep it. When I hit, I look at the ball and do something. I don’t plan ahead. This has helped me to run more freely.”Apart from batting, Shafali has also assisted the ball. He has bowled the new ball in recent matches, returning figures of 1 for 22 against South Africa, including Tazmin’s brace for the Brits, after 3 for 20 against the Netherlands.He said that captain Harmanpreet Kaur has given him a clear responsibility.“Harman di has kept my position clear. He told me that I have to throw the ball in the powerplay. So, I also work in the net. I shoot with the new ball, I focus on hitting the right areas, and try to keep the ball around the stumps.“As an opener, I know that if you stretch outside the stumps, you give room to shoot. So, I always try to dig according to what I would expect if the openers, the line and the length would bother me. I brother keep it in mind; tight lines, off-stump, and make batting work faster,” he said.India’s performance was scrutinized after several attacks went down in the game, but Shafali helped his teammates.“Everybody’s thinking about giving 100 percent. Nobody’s throwing tackles or missing on purpose. Sometimes it’s just not your day, the ball doesn’t stick, it’s a timeout, or a jump shot surprises you.”“But we always support a player who is going through difficulties, on and off the field. Our preparation has been good. We had two days of practice with Bangladesh before the match. We practiced together as a team, half an hour of strong grip and playing on the floor.“So, I can’t say we’re not preparing well. We’re doing everything we can. It’s just getting to that day. Some days things work out, some days they don’t. It’s part of the game,” he said.
