India's youngest T20I debutante, Shafali needed boy's haircut to play
What's the story
At the age of 15, Shafali Verma had become the youngest Twenty20 International (T20I) debutante for the Indian women's cricket team last week when she played against South Africa at Lalabhai Contractor Stadium, Surat.
However, to even enter the male-dominated field of cricket, Verma had to adopt the guise of a boy because no one was willing to train a girl.
Here's her story.
Backstory
Verma was introduced to cricket at age 8-9
Verma's father Sanjeev, who runs a jewelry store in Rohtak, told Agence France-Presse that he introduced her to cricket when she was eight or nine.
"I used to take her to play neighborhood teams on Sundays," he said.
However, when he tried to get her inducted into an academy, the father-daughter duo only faced rejections because no academy would train girls.
Bending rules
'After haircut, most didn't even notice she was a girl'
Verma's father told AFP, "Most teams refused to play against her. They said that she could get hurt and that I would complain if that happened."
Hence, he decided to cut her hair short.
"At eight or nine, all kids look the same. After the haircut, most didn't even notice she was a girl and she started playing regularly at weekends."
Persistence
Neighbors told her 'girls have no future in cricket'
Verma's journey, though, was a lot challenging.
Her father said, "Neighbors and relatives started to taunt me. 'Your daughter plays with boys. Girls have no future in cricket.' We were exposed to such scornful comments from the society that anyone would get mentally scarred."
He added, "But my daughter is strong mentally. She once told me, 'Papa, one day, they will chant my name.'"
Information
Her school eventually developed a girls' cricket team
Obviously, it wasn't easy for her to play against boys, but she pushed through her bruises and eventually, her school decided to develop a girls' team. After her debut- where she hit 46 for 33 balls, securing a 51-run victory- she has found greater support.
T20I
Verma amassing 1,923 runs during domestic season
Verma, a Class X student at St Paul School, Rohtak, earned her India debut after amassing 1,923 runs during the domestic season, including six centuries and three half-centuries.
She told TOI, "I am feeling a bit relaxed now, after getting a duck on debut. The senior players backed me after the first match and I am glad I contributed to the team's victory."
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Verma's siblings are also into cricket
Apart from her father, who shares her love for Sachin Tendulkar, Verma also has an elder brother, Sahil (17) who's hoping to find cricket success, and a younger sister, Nancy (6), who only recently started playing. Both of Verma's siblings take inspiration from her.