She was instrumental in India's success in World Cup 2025.
India all-rounder Shafali Verma wasn’t even part of the World Cup 2025 winning squad. She was initially omitted due to poor form, but a foot injury to Pratika Rawal forced the management to recall her ahead of the semifinal, and what followed was the stuff of dreams.
Shafali couldn’t make an immediate impact in the penultimate fixture, but her match-winning contributions in the final helped India finally end the trophy drought. She scored 87 runs in 78 balls, including seven boundaries and two maximums, at a strike rate of 111.54, and later took two crucial wickets with the ball to earn the Player of the Match award.
As she celebrates the trophy, the 21-year-old has already set her eyes on the T20 World Cup next year, where she wishes to avenge India’s defeat against Australia in the 2020 edition. Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, Shafali explained that the team looks forward to getting into the T20 groove with the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 and preparing well for the 20-over World Cup after a poor display in 2024.
“I am telling you now, we still have to take revenge for the 2020 T20 World Cup. The next edition is just over six months away. So we all are focused and training for that. There is also the WPL, so we will get into T20 mode.”
Shafali Verma has always been an explosive batter, but her recent improvements in both batting and bowling aspects have made her a dynamic option. For India, she can maximise the powerplay and provide brisk starts with Smriti Mandhana, who has also worked on improving her boundary-hitting areas.
A major issue for India during the previous T20 World Cup was their inability to bat quickly, as their strike rate of 105.33 in the tournament depicted. Among all Indian batters to bat in at least three innings, only Harmanpreet Kaur (133.92) struck over 110, while the likes of Richa Ghosh (65.51), Smriti Mandhana (94.93) and even Shafali (105.43) were below-par.
Since the T20 World Cup 2024 debacle, India have tried to play an aggressive brand of cricket – their strike rate (143.12) is the second-best after Australia (146.79) – and Shafali has been instrumental in this progress. Among all batters with at least five innings during this period, she boasts the fourth-highest strike rate (158.55) overall and the second-highest among Indian players.
The next T20 World Cup will be played on better decks than those in the previous editions, and Shafali Verma’s improved hitting abilities will get the desired value. Her bowling is more than a bonus, as visible in the World Cup 2025, where she made crucial inroads for her team.
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