'I felt like God noticed my hard work' - Shafali Verma on her emotional international return in India's Women's World Cup win

India Women were forced to call Shafali Verma into the side after Pratika Rawal was injured right ahead of the semi-finals of the Women's World Cup 2025. Shafali has now revealed that she felt like the God had noticed her hard work when she got the opportunity to come back to the side. She also revealed that the time being out of action in international cricket was tough, but she was glad that she could make it count.

Pratika, who ended as the fourth-highest run-getter of the tournament, had to make way for Shafali due to an ankle fracture. Shafali disclosed that it wasn't a great feeling to be getting a chance through replacing an injured teammate. However, she curbed her emotions aside and contributed to the Women in Blue's historic triumph.

“Getting selected for the semi-final was the happiest moment for me after being out of the team for a year. That time was very tough, but I kept working. When Pratika Rawal got injured, and I got called in, I felt like God noticed my hard work. No one wants to replace a teammate due to injury, but I was grateful to get the chance to contribute,” Shafali told via JioStar's Celebrating Champions.

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We are living the golden era the seniors helped create: Shafali Verma

Shafali, who made a vital all-round contribution in India's win in the finals, said that she felt extremely elated as the entire's team hard work over the years had finally come to fruition. The Haryana-born made a crucial half-century while batting first, as the Indians posted a 299-run target for the South African side. Later in the match, she delivered seven overs while also picking two important wickets, which played a huge part in the victory.

“When we lifted the trophy at DY Patil Stadium, it felt like all our hard work paid off. The stadium atmosphere gave us extra energy. I want to thank Anjum [Chopra] Didi and all our seniors who kept women’s cricket alive with their passion. We are living the golden era they helped create, and this trophy is as much theirs as it is ours,” Shafali said further.

Recently, Shafali was retained by the Delhi Capitals Women ahead of the WPL 2026 auctions. She was retained for INR 2.2 crore, alongside Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, and Niki Prasad. With a lot of attention shifting to women's cricket now, Shafali will be confident of putting up a show in the WPL as well.