Shafali Verma opens up on dream Women’s World Cup campaign

About two weeks ago, when Pratika Rawal got injured in the Women’s World Cup group match, no one would have ever thought, that a certain Shafali Verma, who had been out of the setup for over a year, would just come and play innings of a lifetime in the final against South Africa.

Shafali Verma takes India to maiden ICC title

But as fate would have it, the youngster was called to the side and after failing in the semis, she came up with spectacular knock of 87 and even picked up two wickets. And now, it finally seems she will come up with consistent performances for India. And opening up after her exploits, she said, that she never stopped working hard, during her exodus.

“The last year was tough for me. I faced many struggles, but I kept working hard and was rewarded by God for my effort,” Shafali told reporters after a felicitation event. She also admitted that she was nervous coming in to the tournament, but settled down well.

Rewarded for hard work

“When I joined the team ahead of the semi-final, I was determined to contribute to the World Cup win,” she said. “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.”

Eventually, India won the final by 52 runs against South Africa, and won their first ever ICC title, despite making finals quite a few times in ODIs and T20Is. In 2017, they had lost the World Cup final to England by just 9 runs, despite being in a winning position for 90% of the game.