Sophie said that when she is bowling to Shafali, the only thing going on in her mind is to bowl "my best ball" and "win the battle".
India lost track late on the second day on Thursday as they lost five wickets for 16 runs to finish the day at 187 for five.
India were 83 for 1 at stumps on the rain-interrupted third and penultimate day after following on, still trailing by 82 runs overall with nine second-innings wickets in hand.
Shafali's 96 was one run more than what former India captain Rahul Dravid scored on his debut Test innings, also in England in 1996, and Verma felt that the training that she received as a youngster helped her.
Highlights England Women vs India Women Test Day 3: Follow updates from ENG-W vs IND-W Test Day 3 at Bristol.
England women vs India women Test Day 3 Live Streaming: When and where to watch ENG-W vs IND-W Bristol Test in India.
She smashed 13 fours and two sixes during her 152-ball stay but her attempt to reach the century with a maximum proved costly as she mistimed a Kate Cross delivery which was caught by Anya Shrubsole.
Shafali registered the highest score by an Indian woman cricketer on Test debut. She achieved the feat on day two of their one-off Test against England Women
Verma and Mandhana shared a solid 167 runs off 48.5 overs for the opening stand before both departed in quick time as the collapse started for India.
After multiple quarantines in India and UK, the Mithali Raj-led squad got little over a week to prepare for its first red ball game since November 2014.
The 17-year-old Rohtak girl is one of the hardest hitters of a cricket ball in women's cricket but is yet to play an ODI or a Test match.
India and England will play a one-off Test here from Wednesday, which will start the visitors' full-fledged tour of the UK, where they will also feature in ODI and T20 series.
It is learnt that skipper Mithali, her deputy Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana and all the batters, along with senior pacer Shikha Pandey, spoke to Rahane about the long-form batting.
Osaka had decided to boycott press conferences during the ongoing Grand Slam - a move that had drawn flak - as he felt that the nature of questioning was often damaging to her mental health.
The former India off-spinner was back at the helm after being removed in 2018 when India lost their T20 World Cup semi-final against England in the West Indies and the acrimony between the coach and captain came to the fore.
The women's cricket squad, which has been in quarantine in Mumbai, will be travelling to the United Kingdom with the men's side for a month-long series, on Wednesday.
Robbed of crucial game-time due to the pandemic, India will get the ball rolling with the UK tour comprising a one-off Test, three ODIs and as many T20s.
The hard-hitting batter said she consulted pace bowler Harshal Patel, who started his IPL 2021 campaign with a five-wicket haul for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and spinner Rahul Tewatia on dealing with bouncers.
Mithali and Co. are currently quarantining in Mumbai ahead of the UK tour, which is expected to provide a big push to the team's preparations for the ODI Word Cup in New Zealand early next year.
The Indian women's cricket squad will be travelling along with the men's squad for their month-long tour of England. This Test will be India women's first in six years.
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