India opener Shafali Verma believes India should keep it simple when facing Australia in a must-win match at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2026.Sunday’s game will determine which teams from Group A advance to the semifinals. South Africa, who have six points, will face Bangladesh, who have four points. India, who also have six points, will then face Australia, who remain unbeaten on eight points.
If South Africa defeats Bangladesh, India will need to beat Australia to advance to the semi-finals. However, even if they lose the game, Australia can still advance because they have already collected 8 points and have a much better net rating.Speaking on JioStar, Shafali said India was confident of beating Australia after winning the T20I series ahead of the World Cup.“Everyone knows Australia is a world-class team. But it’s not like we haven’t beaten them before. We beat them recently in the T20 series in Australia and that gave us confidence,” she said.India defeated Australia 2-1 in the three-match series and Shafali believes familiarity with the opponents will help.“We’ve been playing them for many years. We know their bowlers, their strengths and their schemes. So, it’s important that we keep things simple and clear, and support our own strengths. The more you think about it, the more difficult it becomes.”The opener, who has scored two fifties in the last three innings, said she changed her mindset after the match against Pakistan.“My batting has improved a lot. Before the Pakistan match, I was overthinking it. I was planning too much, how I would hit the first ball, what I would hit on the second ball,” she said.“But after that game, I realized I didn’t need to complicate things. I just had to keep it simple. When I hit the ball, I look at the ball and react. I don’t plan too far ahead. That helps me score runs more freely.”Apart from batting, Shafali also contributed with the ball. She has been batting with the new ball in recent games and after taking 3 for 20 against the Netherlands, she took 1 for 22 against South Africa, including the wicket of Tazmin England.She said captain Harmanpreet Kaur gave her a clear role.“Harman Dee made my role very clear. She told me that I have to bowl in the powerplay. So, I worked hard in the nets as well. I bowled with the new ball and focused on hitting the right areas and trying to keep the ball around the stumps.“As an opener, I know that if you bowl outside the stumps, you will give the batsmen room to score runs. So, I always try to bowl based on what I expect as an opener, what kind of line and length will bother me. I play with that in mind; tight lines, stump to stump, to allow the batsmen to run,” she said.Her defense came under scrutiny after India missed several catches during the match, but Shafali backed her teammates.“Everyone is thinking about giving 100 percent effort. No one intentionally drops the ball or turns it over. Sometimes, it’s just not your day and the ball doesn’t stick, the timing isn’t right, or the bounce surprises you.”“But we always come back to those players who have had tough days on and off the field. Our preparation has been good. We had two days of training before this game against Bangladesh. We did a defensive drill together as a team, half an hour of focused catching and ground defence.“So, I wouldn’t say we’re not prepared well. We’re doing everything we can. It’s just a day-to-day thing. Sometimes things go well and sometimes they don’t. That’s part of the game,” she said.
