The decision to bring Shafali Verma to bowl in the Women’s World Cup 2025 final on Sunday, November 2, was made solely on the basis of instinct, according to Indian captain Harmanpreet Kaur. After leading India in scoring with 87 off 78 in the first innings to win Player of the Match, Shafali hit two balls.
According to Harmanpreet, the instinctive decision was based on Shafali’s batsmanship earlier in the day. The skipper also admitted that the 21-year-old was prepared to assume the role.
“I just noticed Shafali standing there while Laura and Sune were batting, and they looked fantastic. I knew it was her day based on the way she was batting today. Today she was doing something extraordinary, and I just felt that I had to follow my instincts. I’m going to give her at least one if my heart tells me to. ‘Can you bowl one over?’ I questioned her thereafter. Her dream has always been to bowl for the squad, and she was so prepared.
“I believe that was a pivotal moment for us,” Harmanpreet said at the ceremony held after the game.
After being brought into the lineup as an injury replacement for Pratika Rawal, Shafali put India ahead with the wickets of Marizanne Kapp (4 off 5) and Sune Luus (25 off 31) in her opening two overs. As a fifth-change option, she performed admirably, giving up just 36 runs in seven overs. Just five ODI innings had Shafali bowled before the summit match.
She scored 87 runs with the bat, including two sixes and seven fours. She tried to clear mid-off but fell 13 runs short of her first ODI century. The Women in Blue lost her as their second wicket. For scoring 215 runs and taking 22 wickets, Deepti Sharma was named the Player of the Tournament, while Shafali was named the Player of the Match.
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