WATCH: Shafali Verma Sacrifices Wicket After Disastrous Miscommunication With Smriti Mandhana
Communication is the most important aspect of any team sport. The players need to have a strong understanding with each other to take the game forward. It's almost always the miscommunication that shakes up a team in a match.
During the India vs South Africa World Cup match, opening batters Shafali Verma and Smriti Mandhana were having a blast in the middle as they hammered 91 runs inside 15 overs. It was a strong start for India in a must-win game to make a place in the World Cup semi-finals.
Shafali, in particular, was having fun as she smashed 53 off 46 balls with the help of eight cracking boundaries. It was her first fifty in World Cups and was looking solid to even score a century.
However, on the last ball of the 15th over, a miscommunication between Shafali and Smriti broke India's momentum.
Mandhana pushed the ball towards the mid-wicket and immediately called for a run. She ran halfway down the pitch but Shafali responded late as she wasn't sure of the run in the first place.
Mandhana couldn't have gone back so Shafali crossed her senior partner, sacrificing her wicket and a great start as India lost the first wicket.
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Mandhana continued to keep the scoreboard ticking and made 71 in 84 to help India reach 274/7 in the first innings. Had the miscommunication not happened, India's score might have reached close to 300.