Rohtak’s Shafali is youngest Indian to score an international 50

Gros Islet (St Lucia): Fifteen-year-old Shafali Verma became the youngest Indian cricketer to score a half-century in international cricket, her 49-ball 73 in the first T20 International against West Indies surpassing several illustrious names in the annals of Indian cricket. Playing in only her fifth T20I, the Rohtak girl put the West Indies attack to the sword, blasting six fours and four sixes on way to her maiden fifty. Shafali achieved the feat at 15 years and 285 days, surpassing the record of another woman cricketer, Thirush Kamini, who was only 16 years and 138 days old when she scored an unbeaten 60 against the Sri Lankan women in an ODI in Jaipur on December 15, 2006.

Mithali Raj, the current captain of the women’s ODI team, was 16 years and 205 days old when she passed 50 against Ireland at Milton Keynes in June 1999. Mithali, in fact, went on to make a century. Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar is the next on the list, having made 59 against Pakistan at the age of 16 years and 213 days in Faisalabad in 1989. Tendulkar made six other 50-plus scores before turning 18. The fifth-youngest Indian to score an international 50 is also a woman, Rajani Venugopal, who was 17 years and 36 days old when she made 55 in a Test match against England at Blackpool in July 1986. Incidentally, Smriti Mandhana, who starred in an opening partnership of 143 with Shafali, is next on the list, having made 51 at 17 years and 187 days against Sri Lanka in an ODI at Visakhapatnam in January 2014. TNS, agencies