Indian women’s cricket team’s explosive opener, Shafali Verma, has become an inspiration to millions of young people. This 21-year-old sensation recently made history on the world stage with her incredible
performance in the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 final.
The power-hitter from Rohtak, Haryana, known for her fearless and aggressive style, is often compared to Virender Sehwag for her batting approach.
Shafali Verma played a memorable innings of 87 runs and took 2 crucial wickets in the World Cup final against South Africa, playing a key role in India’s victory. She was chosen as the ‘Player of the Match’ for this performance, becoming the youngest player to win the award in the history of men’s and women’s cricket World Cup finals or semi-finals. She also became the first cricketer to score a half-century and take two or more wickets in a World Cup final.
Early Cricketing Days And The Challenges She Faced
Born on January 28, 2004, in Rohtak, Haryana, Shafali Verma was introduced to cricket at the age of 8, thanks to her father, Sanjeev Verma, who himself aspired to be a cricketer. Due to the lack of a girls’ cricket academy in Rohtak, Shafali had to cut her hair like a boy and train as one in her early days. In 2013, when Sachin Tendulkar played his last Ranji match in Rohtak, young Shafali stood on her father’s shoulders for hours to watch him.
A Flurry Of Records At The Youngest Age
Shafali Verma made her international cricket debut at the age of 15 in 2019 and quickly started making her mark. She broke the 30-year-old record of Sachin Tendulkar to become the youngest Indian player to score an international half-century. She later became the youngest player to represent India in all three international formats: Test, ODI, and T20 World Cup. In 2023, she captained India to their first Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup title.
Balancing Studies And Cricket
Shafali Verma’s father, Sanjeev Verma, runs a jewellery shop, and her mother, Praveen Bala, is a homemaker. Shafali also has an elder brother, Sahil Verma, and a younger sister, Nancy Verma. Her father is her first coach and biggest supporter. Shafali completed her school education at St. Paul’s School in Rohtak and Mandeep Senior Secondary School. After failing the 10th grade in 2019, she passed with 52% marks from Haryana Open School the next year.
Impressive Class 12 Achievement
Shafali Verma excelled in the CBSE board 12th grade exam, scoring 80% marks, including 93 out of 100 in English, and shared her results on Instagram.
