Shafali Verma is a proud World Cup winner, but her journey in the Women’s World Cup has been far from smooth sailing. It started with heartbreak: she was left out of the original squad and faced another setback when India brought in Uma Chetry to replace the injured Yastika Bhatia. However, fate had other plans. When Pratika Rawal suffered ankle and knee injuries against Bangladesh, the door opened for Shafali to be included.
Once in the team, the dynamic Haryana batsman was unstoppable. Although she managed just 10 against Australia in the semi-final, it was in the finale that Shafali really shinedhe led India to a 52-run victory over South Africa in front of a packed house in Navi Mumbai and won the Player of the Match award.
I ACCEPTED EVERYTHING
In a candid interview with Nikhil Naz and Vikrant Gupta Agenda AajTakShafali spoke of the devastation she felt after initially being left out. Instead of letting the disappointment weigh her down, she rose to the challenge and staged one of the most remarkable comebacks in the recent history of Indian cricket.
“Yes, absolutely sir. You see, when there are ups and downs in life, the first thing you have to do is accept them. And it’s not easy at all, so you have to accept everything. And I know that I always think about the team more than my own innings. Being out of the World Cup team, that too with the World Cup being at home, was a very difficult feeling for me,” Shafali said.
“But then I accepted everything, worked hard, put everything else aside and just focused on myself. And I think God rewarded that hard work by giving me a chance and letting me play with the team. I’m very happy to be Man of the Match in the final on such a big stage – it was a game that could have really made a difference,” said Shafali.
SHAFALI GLOWS UNDER PRESSURE
in the finals Shafali set the tone with a stunning knock of 87 runslaunch at 104 run opening stand with Smriti Mandhana. Notably, this was her highest ODI score and first fifty in over three years.
But Shafali wasn’t done – she set her sights on the ball and dismantled the South African batting line-up with figures of 7-0-36-2, including key wickets from stalwarts Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp, firmly asserting her dominance in the game.
India, buoyed by Harmanpreet Kaur’s masterful move to give her the ball, bowled out the Proteas for 246, finally ending their long wait for an ICC title.
THE WINNING OF HABIT
After her ODI World Cup triumph, Shafali has set her sights on the Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in England next year. India have reached the T20 World Cup final only once, in 2020, but were not enough against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Shafali, who made her debut in 2019, stressed that India’s aim is to make a habit of winning and they are determined to bring home more titles in the coming years.
“This is always a dream, every player’s dream, and I was able to fulfill it. And as I said, on behalf of all of us, I want to say that we will make it a habit and bring even more World Cups to our home soil.”
Shafali will next feature in the five-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on December 21 in Visakhapatnam. She will also continue her stint with Delhi Capitals in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), where she will retain the franchise.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
December 11, 2025
