India opener Shafali Verma believes India should keep things simple when they face Australia in a must-win match in the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.Sunday’s games will decide which teams from Group A reach the semi-finals. South Africa, on six points, face Bangladesh, who have four points. India, also on six points, will then take on undefeated Australia, which has eight points.
If South Africa beat Bangladesh, India will have to defeat Australia to qualify for the semi-finals. Australia, however, can still go through even if they lose because they already have eight points and a much better net run rate.Speaking on JioStar, Shafali said that India have the confidence to beat Australia after winning a T20I series here before the World Cup.“Everyone knows Australia is a world team. But it’s not like we haven’t beaten them before. We beat them recently in a T20 series in Australia, and that gives us confidence,” he said.India had beaten Australia 2-1 in the three-match series, and Shafali believes knowing the opposition well will help.“We have been playing against them for years. We know their bowlers, their strengths and their plans. So, we keep things straight, which is important, and they return to our strengths. The more we overthink, the harder it becomes.”The opener, who scored two fifties in his last three innings, said he changed his mind after the match against Pakistan.“Most things have improved in my batting. Before the Pakistan match, I was thinking too much. I was planning too much, how am I going to play the first ball, what stroke am I going to play off the second ball,” he said.“But after that game, I realized that I don’t need to complicate things. I just need to keep it simple. When I hit, I look at the ball and react. I don’t project too much ahead. That helped me flow more freely.”Apart from batting, Shafali also contributed with the ball. In recent matches, he has shone with the new ball, returning figures of 1 for 22 against South Africa, including the wicket of Tazmin Brits, after taking 3 for 20 against the Netherlands.She said that captain Harmanpreet Kaur has given a clear role.“Harman kept my role very clear. She told me that I would have to bowl in the powerplay. So, I also worked in the nets. I bowl with the new ball, focus on hitting the right areas, and try to keep the ball around the stumps.“As an opener, I know that if you hit outside the stumps, you give the batsman room to score. So, I always try to bowl according to what I expect as an opener, which line and length bother me. I bowl keeping that in mind; tight lines, stump-to-stump, and make the batter work for runs,” he said.India’s field has come under scrutiny after several dropped catches during the tournament, but Shafali has backed his teammates.“Everyone thinks to give their 100 percent. No one gives up catches or misfielding on purpose. Sometimes it’s not your day, the ball doesn’t stop, the timing is off, or the rebound surprises you.”“But we always get behind the player who had a hard day, both on the field and off the field. Our preparation has been good. We had two days of practice before this match against Bangladesh. We did field exercises together as a team, half an hour of concentrated catching and grounding.“So, I won’t say that we didn’t prepare well. We do everything we can. It just depends on the day. Some days things click, some days they don’t. It’s part of the game,” he said.
