The India women's team are on the verge of monumental history as they play South Africa in the Women's World Cup Final on Sunday (November 2).
Harmanpreet Kaur and her troops defied all the odds to beat
Australia in the semifinal, courtesy of a superhuman knock from Jemimah Rodrigues, who stayed unbeaten on 127 as India chased down 339 runs. And now they prepare for the Proteas, as a win will end the wait for their first World Cup title.
As the final arrives, one player who would be raring to make an impact is Shafali Verma. A midas touch has brought her in the thick of things, as Shafali Verma was added to the Indian women's World Cup squad for 2025 as a replacement for the injured Pratika Rawal, who suffered an ankle injury in the league match against Bangladesh.
Shafali, 21, was originally not part of the main squad or reserves but was brought in ahead of the crucial semi-final against Australia. She has played 29 ODIs previously, scoring 644 runs with a strike rate of 83.20, including four half-centuries.
Although she had a brief stay of just 5 balls against Aussies, the Haryana player would be eyeing to make amends and do justice to her immense reputation in the grand finale.
Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues have been the pillars of Indian batting in recent months, but Pratika Rawal made her presence felt in this World Cup. Rawal amassed a staggering 308 runs in the tournament before her injury, which means Shafali has big shoes to fill, especially in the final.
Despite being a difficult task, former India captain Anjum Chopra backs Shafali Verma to make amends for India in the final. While speaking with MyKhel in an exclusive chat, Chopra voiced her belief in the Indian batter.
"Shafali has come in from domestic cricket performances. Now with the kind of matches that she has ahead of her, she will be raring to go. I will just encourage Shafali. Obviously, she's talented and she's a good player. It's about going out there and everything coming into a perfect balance for a cricketer. "
It came for Jemimah. It can come for Shafali. Tomorrow, you never know. Shafali can be that much winner for India. It's about just believing in their ability. But yes, when you're out there in the center, you have to have that game awareness. "
The past few months have been difficult for Shafali Verma, and her nadir came when she was left out of the World Cup squad. But with the sudden opportunity arriving, the swashbuckler would only have redemption in her mind.
