Women's World Cup 2025: 'God has sent me to do something good' - Shafali Verma confident of strong showing in unexpected semi-final chance

Shafali Verma, who wasn’t even in the original squad for the ICC Women’s ODI World Cup 2025, was called up as an injury replacement for opener Pratika Rawal ahead of India’s semi-final clash against Australia in Navi Mumbai. The star opener revealed that her return was part of God’s plan and is ready to give her all in the knockout encounter.

Rawal’s injury came as a huge blow to India’s semi-final plans. The dependable opener twisted her ankle while fielding in the final group-stage match against Bangladesh, ruling her out of the tournament. Rawal had been one of India’s most consistent performers, averaging over 50 and scoring a match-winning century against New Zealand. However, the setback opened a window for Shafali, who was leading Haryana in the National Women’s T20 Championship when she received the emergency call for international duty.

Dropped from India’s ODI squad last year due to poor form, the young opener has worked hard on her game. Her domestic numbers grabbed significant attention as she scored 527 runs at an average of 75 in the Senior Women’s One Day Trophy, followed by a dominant WPL 2025 season where she scored over 300 runs for Delhi Capitals. She also impressed in India A’s tours of Australia and New Zealand, scoring crucial half-centuries. In the pre-match press conference, she admitted the transition from T20s to 50-over cricket hasn’t been easy but said she feels well-prepared.

“What happened with Pratika, as a sportsperson, wasn't a good thing. No one wants any sportsperson to sustain such an injury. But God has sent me here to do something good,” Shafali said.

Her familiarity with Mandhana as an opening partner will help India. The pair last opened together in 2024, with Mandhana averaging over 50 when batting alongside Shafali. Despite averaging 23 in 29 ODI matches, the opener is set to bring immense experience to this game. She also revealed that she understands Australia’s aggressive approach well and is confident to tackle it well.

“I was playing T20s but as a batter, it's not that easy to switch. But we had a practice session today as well as yesterday (Tuesday). I tried to stay calm while batting. I tried to play good balls along the ground and and those that were in my range, I tried to hit them well. I have had long batting sessions in the last two days, today and tomorrow and I felt great knowing I did all that I was trying to do,”she added.