Former India batter Veda Krishnamurthy has hailed Shafali Verma's growing consistency as a sign of things to come, predicting that the 22-year-old opener could dominate international women's cricket for at least another decade. Veda's comments came in the wake of India's emphatic 3-0 T20I series win against Zimbabwe, in which Verma was named Player of the Series.

Shafali's 2026 Run-Scoring Spree

Verma's 991 T20I runs in the 2026 calendar year placed her at the top of the global run-scoring charts in the format — ahead of South Africa's Laura Wolvaardt in second place and India's own Smriti Mandhana in third. The tally underlines the consistency she has shown throughout the season, even as she fell just nine runs short of crossing the 1,000-run mark in a single calendar year.

'Consistency was something that was always discussed around Shafali, and the way she has come back, she is starting to show a lot more of it across formats. She got out when she had 991 calendar runs in T20Is this year. We were hoping that she would get to a thousand, and you see the list, Laura Wolvaardt is behind her in second place, and Smriti Mandhana is in third position,' Veda told JioStar.

December Series: Top Three Face Off

Veda also pointed to an intriguing subplot on the horizon — the three leading run-scorers in women's T20Is this year, Shafali Verma, Laura Wolvaardt, and Smriti Mandhana, are set to face each other in an upcoming series in December 2026. 'The top three will be playing against each other in December. That series is going to be a good one,' she added. The match-up has already generated significant anticipation among cricket observers.

Seven Years of International Experience at 22

Despite her relatively young age, Verma is far from a newcomer. Having made her international debut in 2019, she has amassed approximately seven years of experience across formats, exposing her to a wide variety of conditions, opponents, and high-pressure situations. Veda noted that this depth of experience, combined with her age, makes Verma's future prospects exceptionally bright.

'She is just 22 years old, but she has been here for a while. 2019 is when she made her debut. That's about seven years of international cricket, which is a lot of experience. I'm just looking at it and saying, probably another decade or even more than that of cricket is what we'll see from her, and the kind of records she's going to smash is going to be incredible to watch,' Veda said.

What This Means for Women's Cricket

Verma's rise comes at a pivotal moment for the women's game in India, where domestic structures and broadcast visibility have expanded considerably. Her ability to anchor innings while maintaining an aggressive approach makes her a rare commodity at the top of the order. Notably, this is not the first time Verma has been flagged as a generational talent — but the difference in 2026 is the weight of consistent performances backing that claim. With the December series and a packed international calendar ahead, the spotlight on Verma is only set to grow.