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From exile to limelight: Shafali Verma's incredible journey from being a reject to scoring World Cup Final half-century
Shafali Verma returned to the team, scoring 87 runs in the final after doubts arose post semi-final.
Shafali Verma’s rise was meteoric even by Indian cricket’s hypercompetitive standards. She debuted for India’s T20I side at 15, becoming the youngest Indian to play the format and, weeks later, the youngest international half-centurion. By early 2020, she had climbed to No.1 in the ICC T20I batting rankings, a signal that her high-impact, aggressive batting was built for the biggest stages.
The drop and then the recall
Through 2024-25, Shafali Verma’s ODI returns flattened out, and the selection panel pivoted to consistency at the top. In August 2025, India named their Women’s ODI World Cup squad without Shafali, with chief selector Neetu David’s group signalling a move toward stability and clarity. The omission was explicitly framed around her recent poor form, and India’s plans paired Smriti Mandhana with Pratika Rawal.
India vs South Africa Live Score, Women's World Cup Final
Notably, Rawal had turbocharged her case across the 2024-25 cycle. She translated her domestic form to the international stage, starting her career on a high note. Her partnership with Mandhana gave India the security of solid starts in most of the games. The two batters complemented each other, and the decision to drop Shafali made perfect sense.
While everything was going fine for India with both Rawal and Mandhana scoring runs consistently, a freak injury unsettled the whole setup. During India’s last league stage game against Bangladesh, Pratika Rawal injured her ankle and was ruled out of the tournament. This meant India were in search of an opener for the semi-final and final, and they remembered Shafali.
Shafali’s first game on return was against Australia in the semi-final. She looked good with the bat as she started off hitting a couple of boundaries. However, the innings did not stretch beyond that. Experts and fans expressed doubts about her playing in the summit clash.
The management trusted Shafali and gave her one more go. This time, she did not disappoint. A sparkling knock of 87 runs off 78 deliveries to set the foundation for the team, Shafali seemed to have never left the stage on the first hand.
The 21-year-old did not stop at contributions with the bat. She rolled her golden arm to pick up the wicket of Sune Luus, who was building a threatening partnership with Laura Wolvaardt. Shafali then went to pick up the important wicket of Marizanne Kapp next, putting the Proteas under further pressure and tilting the balance of the game in India's favour. Her spell of three overs, where she picked up two wickets and conceded only eight runs completely changed the momentum of the game.
It was as if the cricket God was giving her due back. It would become a full circle, if India manage to win the final against South Africa and thus their maiden title with Verma being the main architect.
