Harmanpreet’s Trust in Shafali Delivers Big Dividends in Women’s World Cup Final

Shafali Verma played a vital role in India’s victory over South Africa in the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025 Final. She performed superbly not just with the bat, but with the ball as well. The star performer of the final match took valuable wickets of Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp smartly. Due to her all-round performance in the final, she was given the Player Of The Match award at the end of the contest.

The decision to give her the ball was not easy, as Harmanpreet Kaur had to take the call after considering the match situation. She eventually made the decision while trusting her instincts that Shafali would deliver for her on the big stage.

"When Laura and Sune were batting, they were looking really good, and I just saw Shafali standing there. And the way she was batting today, I knew today's her day. She was doing something special today, and I just thought I have to go with my gut feeling. If my heart is saying I should give at least one over to her, I'm going to give her.” said Harmanpreet Kaur at the post-match press conference.

When Harmanpreet asked Shafali to bowl in the second innings, her reply was very energetic. This, according to the captain, changed things for India, as Shafali immediately sent back Sune Luus, who was batting confidently for South Africa.

"And then I just asked her, 'can you bowl one over?' And she was so ready, and she's always wanted to bowl for the team. I think that was a turning point for us." said Harmanpreet Kaur.

Shafali Verma came to the Indian team just before the semifinal against Australia. The injury of Pratika Rawal made way for the young batter, who was not being considered initially when the Indian World Cup squad was announced. Shafali eventually justified her selection by playing an impressive knock in the final and bowling confidently in the second innings.

"When she came to the team, that time we spoke to her, 'we might need your two or three overs'. And she was like, 'you know, if you give me the bowling, I'm going to bowl 10 overs for the team. And that showed how confident she was to bowl for the team. Credit goes to her. She was so positive. Salute her, the way she was there for the team." said Harmanpreet Kaur.

The Indian captain also praised the performance of South Africa in the final of the Women’s World Cup. She said the visitors played strongly in the second innings, however, they got panicked in the end, which allowed India to put more pressure on them.

"We should give credit to the South Africa team. They played it beautifully. In the last moment they panicked a little bit, and that's where we caught the game. And I think we, as a group, we have been talking about, you know, once they started doing a little bit, you know, something here and there, we have to catch that. And I think that right time Deepti came and took those crucial wickets." said Harmanpreet Kaur.

Explaining how India turned things around after losing matches early in the tournament, Harmanpreet said the team always had belief, which allowed them to stay positive even during the tough moments.

"Yeah, last game also we spoke that self-belief was there that, you know, even though we lost three back-to-back games, but we knew this team has something special to turn things around the table. So, I think credit goes to each and every member. They stayed positive. They knew what we have to do the next three games, and I think everybody was so involved." said Harmanpreet Kaur after winning the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025.