In the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2023 match between the Delhi Capitals and the UP Warriorz, Aakash Chopra praised Meg Lanning for defending Shafali Verma from Shabnim Ismail.
On Tuesday, March 7, the Caps were given the opportunity to bat first at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai, and they produced a staggering 211/4. Then, their bowlers held Alyssa Healy and company to 169/5 to secure a commanding 42-run victory.
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Aakash Chopra Lauds Meg Lanning
Chopra was all admiration for Meg Lanning for the strategies she used when analysing the match in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, explaining:
“There was Meg Lanning’s planning. When Shabnim Ismail bowled to her at the start, it seemed she will dismiss her. She survived that and then hit her as well and along with that, she protected Shafali Verma.”
The former Indian opener emphasised that Ismail was restricted in how much he could bowl to Shafali by the Delhi Capitals captain, saying:
“She allowed Shafali Verma to face just one delivery from Ismail and I thought that was a very smart move because Lanning is a better batter. She said that she can face her (Ismail) and asked Shafali to stay at the other end.”
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In 6.3 overs, Lanning and Shafali put up a 67-run opening-wicket partnership. The young Indian batsman scored 17 runs despite only facing 14 balls.
Chopra expressed displeasure with Shafali Verma’s use of the willow, stating:
“Shafali Verma was playing in a slightly different fashion this time. More risk-taking – too many shots while moving aside to the leg side, not ideal in my opinion, and then she got out.”
The renowned analyst, however, praised the other Delhi Capitals hitters for their innovative style, saying:
“After that, it seemed whoever was coming was hitting, whether it was Marizanne Kapp, Jemimah Rodrigues, Alice Capsey or Jess Jonassen and they crossed 200 overall. The Delhi Capitals have played two matches and have scored more than 200 both times, which is thumbs up.”
Meg Lanning led the Caps in scoring with a 42-ball 70 that included 10 fours and three sixes. In order to guarantee that the team scored 200 runs for the second game in a row, Jess Jonassen (42* off 20), Jemimah Rodrigues (34* off 22), Alice Capsey (21 off 10) and Marizanne Kapp (16 off 12) all contributed.
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