Just before the Women’s World Cup 2025 semi-finals, Pratika Rawal had an injury that caused India Women to call up Shafali Verma to the team. Now that she received the chance to return to the side, Shafali has disclosed that she felt as though God had recognised her diligence. Being out of action in international cricket was difficult, she added, but she was happy that she could make the most of it.
An ankle fracture forced Pratika, the tournament’s fourth-highest run scorer, to give way to Shafali. “It wasn’t a great feeling to be getting a chance by replacing an injured teammate,” Shafali Verma revealed. But she controlled her emotions and helped the Women in Blue achieve a historic victory.
The best part of my year-long absence from the team was being chosen for the semi-final. It was an extremely difficult moment, but I continued to work. God seemed to notice my efforts when I was called in after Pratika Rawal was hurt. Through JioStar’s Celebrating Champions, Shafali stated, “I was thankful to have the opportunity to contribute, but nobody wants to replace a teammate due to injury.”
We are living in the golden age that the elders helped to establish: Shafali Verma
Shafali Verma, who played an important all-around role in India’s victory in the finals, expressed her immense happiness at the team’s years of hard work finally paying off. When batting first, the Haryana native scored a vital half-century as the Indians set a target of 299 runs for the South African team. She picked two crucial wickets and provided seven overs later in the game, which was crucial to the victory.
Our efforts seemed to have paid off when we raised the trophy at DY Patil Stadium. We were invigorated by the stadium environment. I want to thank Anjum [Chopra] Didi and all of our seniors for their devotion in preserving women’s cricket. Shafali Verma went on, “This trophy is as much theirs as it is ours, and we are living in the golden age they helped create.”
Ahead of the WPL 2026 auctions, the Delhi Capitals Women just signed Shafali Verma. She was kept along with Jemimah Rodrigues, Niki Prasad, Annabel Sutherland, and Marizanne Kapp for INR 2.2 crore. Shafali Verma will feel optimistic about performing well in the WPL as well, since women’s cricket is currently receiving a lot of attention.
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