Shafali Verma Talks About Overcoming Challenges and Staying Focused

Shafali Verma played a crucial role for India in the final of the ICC Women’s World Cup 2025. Her superlative knock of 87 runs gave the home team a strong base in the first innings of the match. It was indeed a special performance from the youngster because she only joined the team a few days ago when Pratika Rawal got injured.

Speaking about her comeback to the Indian Women’s World Cup squad, Shafali Verma said that the journey was not as smooth as people might think. Highlighting the struggles, she said the last one year for her after getting dropped from the team was quite tough. It was a time in which she kept believing in herself and did all the hard work to regain her batting form.

"The last year was tough for me. I faced many struggles, but I kept working hard and was rewarded by God for my effort," said Shafali Verma while talking to the reporters.

Shafali Verma joined the Indian squad on the eve of the semi-final against Australia. She replaced Pratika Rawal, who was ruled out of the tournament after sustaining a severe injury in the previous match.

The young batter couldn’t perform well in the semi-final, however, her bat churned out plenty of runs in the ICC Women’s World Cup final against South Africa. Besides batting, she also contributed strongly in the bowling by picking up 2 crucial wickets during the middle overs.

"When I joined the team ahead of the semi-final, I was determined to contribute to the World Cup win," said Shafali Verma.

Talking about the final, Shafali said that she was a bit nervous before the game as her last outing against Australia wasn’t great. However, she recognized the opportunity and composed herself accordingly, so that she could focus better on match preparation.

"The final is always a big stage. Initially, I was a bit nervous, but I calmed myself, focused on my strategy, and executed it well. That helped me deliver an all-round performance." said Shafali Verma.

Speaking to the young girls at an event, she advised them to always believe in their skills. She added that hard work is the key to achieving success in any field, as it always produces positive results.

"They should always work hard in whatever field they choose and have self-belief, the results will follow," said Shafali Verma.

Talking about the approach during the final of the mega event, Shafali credited her calm nature, which allowed her to execute precise batting plans perfectly.

"I tried to stay calm and execute my plans, and things went as expected. The only thought was that we had to give our all in those seven hours for our country." said Shafali Verma.

Shafali Verma missed out on a well-deserved century during the first innings of the match. She was playing positively until Ayabonga Khaka removed her after making 87 runs. Missing the century, however, didn’t bother the young batting star, as winning the World Cup was her main objective, not scoring a century in the first innings.