Why Shafali Verma Could Be India’s X-Factor at Lord’s

As the Indian women’s cricket team prepares to face England in the historic one-off Test at Lord’s, much of the attention will be on captain Harmanpreet Kaur and senior batter Smriti Mandhana. However, Shafali Verma could prove to be just as important for India.

Known for her fearless approach at the crease, Shafali has the ability to change the momentum of a match in a short span of time. If India stick with the batting order they used in their previous Test against Australia, Shafali and Mandhana are expected to open the innings, making their partnership crucial in English conditions.

With Pratika Rawal ruled out through injury, the responsibility on India’s opening pair becomes even greater. Batting at Lord’s is never straightforward. The famous slope, the Dukes ball and England’s strong pace attack, led by Lauren Bell and Lauren Filer, are expected to test India’s batters from the first over. sweetbonanza-app.com

Most teams choose to be cautious against the new ball in England, but Shafali’s strength lies in playing positive cricket. If she can get through the early spell, her aggressive approach can put England’s bowlers under pressure and force the hosts to rethink their plans instead of allowing them to dominate.

Although India’s campaign at the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup ended in the group stage, Shafali was one of the team’s positives. She finished the tournament with 179 runs from five matches at an average of 35.80 and an impressive strike rate of 151.69. She also chipped in with five wickets through her off-spin, showing her value as an all-round contributor. Throughout the tournament, she consistently gave India quick starts, taking the attack to the opposition and putting bowlers under pressure from the very beginning.

While Shafali is best known for her explosive white-ball batting, she has also impressed in Test cricket. In just six Tests, she has scored 607 runs at an average of 55.18 and a strike rate of 74.38, including one century and three half-centuries. Her biggest achievement came against South Africa in Chennai in 2024, where she smashed 205 off 197 balls to become only the second Indian woman after Mithali Raj to score a Test double-century, while also recording the fastest double-century in women’s Test history.

She has also proved she can thrive in English conditions. On her Test debut against England in Bristol in 2021, the then 17-year-old scored 96 and 63 to earn the Player of the Match award, showcasing her ability to balance aggression with composure against the moving ball.

The four-day format of women’s Test cricket also makes quick scoring extremely valuable. India have shown in recent years that they are prepared to play attacking cricket rather than settle for draws, and Shafali fits perfectly into that approach. Her Test strike rate of 74.38 highlights how quickly she can change the pace of an innings. A rapid 70 or 80 at the top of the order could help India build a commanding first-innings total while also giving them enough time to push for a result later in the match.

Shafali’s contribution may not be limited to batting either. Although she is primarily an opening batter, her off-spin gives Harmanpreet Kaur another bowling option if conditions begin to favour spin later in the game. She has taken two wickets in Test cricket at an average of 9.50 and showed during the recent T20 World Cup that she can provide crucial breakthroughs, finishing with five wickets in the tournament.

Alongside frontline spinners, Shafali could play an important supporting role with the ball if India need to break a stubborn partnership.

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Lord's, known as the ‘Home of Cricket,’ will witness its first ever women’s Test, between India and England, beginning today, 142 years after the London venue hosted its first men’s Test between England and Australia on July 21, 1884.

And like India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Mumbai-based India pacer Sayali Satghare is also excited to be a part of history and play at the iconic venue.

“It is a big thing. It is a privilege to play at Lord’s. Last year, I was there with the Indian team for the one-day series, but I did not play that match. So, this time, I am looking forward to, hopefully, playing and performing well,” Satghare told mid-day recently.

Satghare, 26, a Borivli resident, made her Test debut against Australia in a day-night affair at Perth last March with impressive figures of 4-50. However, India lost the Test by 10 wickets. She had claimed 2-38 as India ‘A’ beat England ‘A’ by 59 runs at Taunton last Saturday.

“From childhood, we have seen [on TV] matches being played at Lord’s. It’s such a prestigious ground, so I’m very excited and looking forward to it,” Satghare said.

Last month, Satghare led from the front to help SOBO Mumbai Falcons clinch the inaugural T20 Mumbai Women’s League title.

Satghare has represented the country in one Test and three ODIs (claimed three wickets) so far.

“I like Test cricket. I have played internationally and also in domestic multi-day games, I enjoy playing Test cricket, definitely. But T20 is something different.

It’s a shorter format and faster game. So, you can’t choose one or the other, but yes, I definitely like playing Test cricket,” Satghare signed off.

Zero
No. of women’s Tests played at Lord’s prior to today’s game between England and India

Four
No. of wickets claimed by Sayali Satghare in her only Test against Australia in Perth earlier this year

France has sealed their spot in their third consecutive World Cup semifinal with a 2-0 victory over Morocco in the quarterfinals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The France vs Morocco quarterfinal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup was played in the Boston Stadium. This was a rematch of one of the semifinal games from the 2022 World Cup.

Did France Beat Morocco in World Cup Quarterfinal

This match strategically took the form of a typical game where one team is clearly stronger than the other. The stronger team dominates attack and possession, while the weaker team sits back and waits for the counter-attack.

While Morocco has emerged as one of the strongest international sides over the past four years, Les Bleus are the best international team in the world. From the starting minutes of the game, France was seen taking the ball forward. Their first attempts on target came within five minutes of the match.

After controlling the game in the first quarter, Kylian Mbappé was brought down in the box by Noussair Mazraoui in the 25th minute. And after a VAR check, a penalty was awarded. However, the French skipper missed the penalty and the chance to give his team the lead.

After the hydration break, the game began in the same manner it ended. In the first 30 or so minutes of this match, France had taken 10 shots, three of which were on target. This compared to Morocco’s zero.

However, the first half ended with the French failing to score any goals, despite having taken a lot more shots. The team looked indecisive in the attacking third and, on occasion, was toothless in front of goal. On the other hand, Morocco had started keeping a lot more possessions, but to no avail. While one team had 22 shots by the end of the half, the other had five. No points for guessing which was which.

The second half began with the Atlas Lions looking more aggressive. In the 28th minute, a decent attempt was blocked by French goalkeeper Mike Maignan. Meanwhile, Moroccan goalie Yassine Bounou was having a stellar game so far.

Around the 55-minute mark, France had taken control of the game again, and while the likes of Mbappé and Désiré Doué had taken several shots on target, only for them to be saved, the 2018 world champions looked tantalisingly close to scoring.

The goal came in the 60th minute with some Mbappé magic. The French captain found the ball at the edge of the box, took a shot that curled past defender Issa Diop, and slotted the ball into the net, 1-0 France.

With that goal, France established their dominance in the game; meanwhile, Morocco started looking a bit desperate. Following the goal, the defending African champions made a couple of changes on the side, making the lineup more attack-focused with an outright No. 9 in Soufiane Rahimi.

However, the changes did not change the fact that France was still the better side in the No. 9 contest. In the 66th minute, they extended their lead to two goals. After cutting to the middle, Ousmane Dembélé took a right-footed shot from outside the box, and the ball sneaked into the bottom-right corner, making the score 2-0.

This goal all but sealed the match for France. To have any chance from here, Morocco needed a miracle, a miracle that never came. While they did create a few weak chances in the last half hour of the game, that did not bring them any viable scoring opportunities.

On the other hand, France was still quite pacy on the flanks, and their attacking players created some more chances, but they did not score again in the game. After taking a 2-goal lead, Kylian Mbappé was taken off the field. That was the level of confidence manager Didier Deschamps had in his team winning the match with a two-goal lead and just over 20 minutes remaining.

In the end, this France vs Morocco match ended with a 2-0 scoreline. With this win, the French have reached their third consecutive World Cup semi-final.

France will face the winner of the Spain vs Belgium match in the first semifinal of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be played on Wednesday, July 15, at 12:30 am (IST) in Dallas Stadium.

Check Out: Did France Beat Morocco World Cup Quarterfinal

Get the FIFA World Cup 2026 Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.

IND vs ENG 4th T20I Highlights: फिल साल्ट और हैरी ब्रूक की अटूट शतकीय साझेदारी के दम पर इंग्लैंड ने भारत के खिलाफ ब्रिस्टल में टी20 सीरीज के चौथे मुकाबले को 9 विकेट से अपने नाम किया। इसी के साथ मेजबान टीम ने पांच मुकाबलों की सीरीज पर 3-0 से कब्जा कर लिया है। यह पहली बार रहा जब इंग्लैंड ने टी20 सीरीज में टीम इंडिया को हराया है। इसके अलावा 2019 के बाद भारतीय टीम पहली बार लगातार 2 टी20 सीरीज हार गई है। इस मैच में और भी कई रिकॉर्ड्स बनें।

NetEase Games and Starry Studio are thrilled to announce that their hit strange worlds survival title, Once Human will officially launch on PlayStation 5 and XBOX Series X|S on August 25 PDT, with a brand new First-Person Perspective feature and full support of cross-play and cross-progression right from launch.

Once Human Global Console Launch

Once Human is a free-to-play, Strange Worlds survival game set in a post-apocalyptic landscape. Players venture into different “Scenarios,” each offering diversified environments and gameplay mechanics. With 6 Scenarios and a PVP Spin-off currently available, the game delivers over 300 hours of gameplay for console players from day one. In the game, anomalies are the center of the core gameplay loop- harness them to explore the Stardust-infected wasteland, automate your shelter, and mutate yourself for combat. From crafting to fighting, anomalies are your only means to survive.

Enhanced Immersion on Console: New First-Person Perspective and More

To maximize player immersion, the console version introduces various special features:

• First-Person Perspective: This new functionality gives players the complete freedom to switch between a third-person perspective and a first-person perspective at any time. Launching directly onto the console version, the new feature pairs perfectly with a large 4K screen to deliver a completely different and deeply immersive experience.
• High-Fidelity Graphics: The console version delivers high-definition graphics with a choice between Quality Mode (4K/60FPS) and Performance Mode (120FPS) for immersive, big-screen gaming.
• Optimized Controller Experience: The game also features a bespoke controller experience, offering distinct low-frequency rumbles for giant monsters, precise trigger resistance during boss battles, and elastic tactile feedback for loot drops.

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Pre-Orders Begin with Exclusive Reward Packs

Pre-orders have officially begun across both PlayStation and XBOX platforms, featuring two distinct tiers of gift packages. Purchasing players will receive exclusive, limited pre-order items unique to the PlayStation and XBOX platforms respectively:

• Starter Pack ($9.99): Offers the Black Gold Butterfly cradle skin, 3 Midnight Rave weapon skins, a 30-day METAPASS, a special home facility skin, and exclusive profile customization items.
• Radiance Pack ($14.99): Provides an Outfit Selection including 3 character skins, a Premium Battle Pass, a 30-day METAPASS, 2 Siderite lottery tokens, and an exclusive avatar frame.

Pre-order NOW in PlayStation & Microsoft store: https://g.oncehuman.game/c/px87qm

The post Once Human Sets August 25 Launch Date on PS5 and XBOX with New First-Person Perspective and Full Crossplay appeared first on Inside Sport India.