The selectors and team management ran out of patience with Shafali Verma around this time last year. She was dropped from India’s one-day plans after struggling to adjust to the rhythm of the format. Instead of an inconsistent aggressor at the top, India have opted for the composure of a patient accumulator in Pratika Rawal.
Cut to October 2025 – Shafali Verma is back in the World Cup squad and in one of the unlikeliest of circumstances. Pratika cemented her spot at the top with consistent performances and enhanced her World Cup reputation with a superb hundred in a must-win clash in Navi Mumbai against New Zealand last week. Her ability to consistently rotate strikes was rumored, but she silenced her critics with sheer reliability.
Shafali’s chances of an ODI comeback seemed slim – until a nagging ankle injury cut short Pratika’s World Cup campaign. Days before the big semi-final against Australia, India have drafted Shafali Verma back into the line-up and he will in all likelihood play ahead of midfielder Uma Chetry.
Some may call it fate. God sent, says Shafali as she looks ahead to the occasion in what promises to be one of the most hard-fought matches in the history of women’s cricket. For her, it’s a shot at redemption — one that comes wrapped in expectation and pressure.
The team didn’t even want her in the starting fifteen at the World Cup and even when the window opened after Yastika Bhatia’s injury. Ahead of India’s biggest Test, Shafali has a chance to silence her doubters and prove she belongs at this level – the very format she has been trying to establish herself in since debuting as a teenage prodigy in 2021.
And Shafali has promised nothing less than an all-out commitment if she gets the chance on Thursday.
“Obviously what happened with Pratika – it doesn’t feel good as a sportsperson. Nobody wants any player to go through such an injury. But I believe God has sent me here to do something good,” Shafali told the press in Navi Mumbai on the eve of India’s semi-final against Australia.
“My father, my family – everyone was very happy. I’m also really happy to be back with the team. It’s a very good opportunity for me and if I play, I’ll give my best,” she added, reflecting on the unexpected World Cup call-up that came while she was representing Haryana in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, India’s premier domestic competition.
Shafali has been in war form of late. In the ongoing domestic T20 tournament, she has amassed 341 runs at an average of 56.83 and a strike rate of 180 – figures that reaffirm her dominance in the shortest format.
Yes, in T20 cricket, Shafali has long been a force to reckon with. But even in one-dayers, the young batsman is slowly finding his way. After being dropped from the ODI side last year, she topped the batting charts in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy, scoring 527 runs at an average of 75 and a strike rate of 152. She followed it up with 414 runs at an average of 82 and a strike rate of 145 in the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger Trophy.
Her consistency carried over to the Women’s Premier League, where she scored 304 runs for the Delhi Capitals, forcing her way back into the senior national team – albeit in T20Is.
Shafali has worked tirelessly to build consistency in the longer formats and this effort is now boosting her confidence ahead of the massive competition.
MEETING THE AUSSIE THREAT
At just 21, she has already featured in three T20 World Cups and one ODI World Cup. The stage fright is long gone. Pressure? She’s seen it all before.
And in her press conference, Shafali had the confidence of experience and spoke with poise about her knowledge of the Australian threat.
“I’ve played against Australia many times so it’s nothing new for me. I know their bowlers and their styles. I’ll back my strengths and yes, they’ll come at us hard – but we’ve been preparing a lot and we’re all in touch. Hopefully we’ll put in a good performance. We’ll focus on doing well and if we do, of course we’ll win,” she said.
“Like I said, I’ve played against Australia many times. I know if we don’t lose early wickets as a batting unit, they’ll start to feel the pressure. As a bowling unit, we’ll try to keep good lengths and as batsmen we’ll play to our strengths. The simpler we keep things, the better. The less we panic, the better we’ll perform.”
Shafali also said she is open to being flexible in the batting order. Against Bangladesh, with Pratika twisting her ankle, India started all-rounder Amanjot Kaur. However, the Haryana batsman now looks set to slot in as a direct replacement for the injured opener.
If her intense workouts and confident press conference body language are anything to go by, expect Shafali to be in her zone. And when Shafali is in his zone, he has the power to shake even the most disciplined of attacks.
India scored 330 and still lost to Australia earlier in the tournament in Vizag. This time, Shafali could be the difference – the spark that India needed, sent by God at the perfect time.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
October 29, 2025
