WPL 2023: 'Still to get over it' - Lanning awestruck by Shafali's power-hitting as DC hammers GG by 10 wickets

WPL 2023: Delhi Capitals pummelled Gujarat Giants by ten wickets, rising to second place in the points table. Meanwhile, DC skipper Meg Lanning was awestruck by Shafali Verma's power-hitting abilities.

The peerless Meg Lanning was awestruck seeing Shafali Verma's power-hitting from the other end and described the 19-year-old's knock as one of the best she had ever seen. Shafali smoked five sixes and ten fours in her unbeaten 28-ball 76 as she, along with Lanning (21 not out; 15b), made a mockery of Gujarat Giants' (GG's) 106-run target by cantering home in 43 balls.

"It was some of the best hittings I've seen. I said to keep it simple. Stay still and hit the ball straight. I'm still to get over it. That was a pretty cool show to watch from the other end," the five-time World Cup-winning Australian skipper said after its 10-wicket hammering of GG.

"I was just cheerleading from the other end. It seemed like a new ball wicket. We just had to make sure what we had to do. Shafali didn't make it look not very easy. Those sorts of chases can be tricky if you go into a shell," Lanning added, showering more praise on Shafali.

DC's South African pace-bowling all-rounder Marizanne Kapp set the tone with her sensational display of 5/15. "Kapp's natural length works on a wicket like this. She was excellent today. I love watching her bowl. She was frustrated with her performances so far -- she shouldn't have been," Lanning said.

I wanted to play straight: Shafali
For Shafali, this was her second fifty in four matches in the inaugural Women's Premier League (WPL). In their WPL opener, Shafali looked set for a century but got out for 84 (45 balls) while playing an away delivery. "I got out while playing flick in the last match, so I tried to play straight tonight. I wasn't in a hurry, but I was trying to give my best during the run chase," Shafali said.

"Now we can rest and enjoy ourselves. I want to thank Lanning for her advice. I want to work hard in the future and keep scoring and playing the same way. We [openers] tried to give our best for the team, and we managed to do so. We backed ourselves during the chase, kept talking to each other, and you know such small things matter as a player," Shafali added.

Wanted to perform badly: Kapp
Having erred in the first three matches where she could manage just one wicket from 16 overs, South African Kapp finally hit the straps with an incisive spell. "Just wanted to perform so badly. It's not been going so well," said Kapp after being adjudged Player-of-the-Match.

"I missed my line and length a lot in the previous three games. If you want to perform, you need to put in the hard work. Good to contribute tonight. That's what makes it tough being an all-rounder. You don't feel good if you bowl and don't bat well. Thankfully, I wasn't needed to bat tonight. We've got such a nice group of players. Such an amazing experience being here," Kapp added.

Rival skipper Sneh Rana defended her decision to bat and termed Shafali's innings "incredible". "It's completely okay. Girls did the best they could do. So, it's fine. The pitch was a bit skiddy. It was a good decision [at the toss] because the ball was coming on well. Shafali was fantastic tonight. All those shots were incredible," she concluded.

(With inputs from PTI)