Learning to stay, learning to win: The Shafali Verma story

Recently, Shafali Verma went on her first ever vacation: a trip to Bali with her family to wind down after a whirlwind few months of monumental achievements on the field and unending celebrations off it. Four to five days of keeping the world away followed, during which the Verma family could finally sit down and soak in the enormity of what had unfolded a few weeks earlier — India bringing home the women’s ODI World Cup trophy it had yearned for far too long. “Indians are everywhere, so people kept coming up to me and congratulating me. I enjoyed it a lot,” Shafali told  Sportstar, admitting that it was on foreign soil that the historic triumph truly sank in.

The celebrations closed an important loop in a year that began on torrid terms for the 21-year-old. At the end of 2024, the explosive but inconsistent opening batter was sent back from the national ODI side to the ravines of the domestic circuit, seemingly having run out of rope. She amassed runs at will across white-ball formats, but her Team A side lost to Team C in the BCCI Senior Women’s One-Day Challenger Trophy final that went down to the wire at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in January 2025. This was weeks after her father had suffered a heart attack. As journalists ushered players from different teams into pockets for quick interviews, Shafali was spotted unsuccessfully fighting back tears during one of her own interactions.

ALSO READ | Rumesh Ratnayake signs off on underwhelming note but confident women’s cricket evolving fast

“When you’re playing for the team’s cause and you get dropped, it’s tough. When on 49, I don’t think of the single; I only look at the scoreboard and keep going. At that time, I contemplated leaving the game entirely.

“Papa was recovering from a heart attack, and my place in the team was in trouble. It’s not easy when things go wrong with both your passion and your family. When I began training again, I wasn’t feeling happy or confident about being back and had to grind that sadness out of me. The start of 2025 was easily the lowest point of my life. But you know the saying, right?  Sohne ko jitna ragdoge, utna shine karega (gold shines better the more you polish it). I stayed low, kept the ifs and buts out, and focused only on myself and my game. God rewarded me by taking me to the World Cup.”

Since November 2, the science of her measured 78-ball 87 in the WC final against South Africa has been dissected in enough detail. She revealed that she worked on curbing her aerial instincts early and opted for a risk-free approach to ensure she could make an impact for longer in the match. When Shafali remarkably found destiny calling her back to the Indian side for the knockouts, advice poured in from every quarter. But she chose to listen to the voice she trusted most — her own.

“‘Play with patience, play low, defend’ — a lot of this came my way. Initially, I used to think, ‘When I started,  sab badi wah wahi kar rahe the  sab log ki arey wah kya chakke marti hai, kya karti hai.’ (When I started, people would marvel at my shots and how I played.’ Eventually, I was honest with myself that if I wanted to grow my cricket, I needed to accept a few things, most importantly what wasn’t working for me. I saw that when I played down the ground, I was getting out less frequently.

“I didn’t listen to anyone else. I realised only I could help myself based on what I’d experienced. I went back and watched all my Test match innings and replayed them over and over in my head. I saw that grounding my shots came quite comfortably to me. If I could bring that into my ODI game, it would help. That period between realising and implementing it was hard — I won’t lie. But if you want to grow, you have to do what you have to do.”

Since she broke onto the scene as a 15-year-old in the Women’s T20 Challenge, Shafali has been known for her confidence, nonchalance and her ability to entertain the media with quirky one-liners. The side people don’t see — and the one she has graciously bared following this tournament win — is the nervous Shafali.

“For me, nervousness is doubt — ‘ ab kya hoga, kaise karenge’. The kind of low 2025 gave me, I hope that never happens again. But if it does, I will look back at this journey to pull myself up, because at that point I had nothing around me. I wasn’t in the 15-member World Cup squad or even on the standby list. Ever since I can remember, people have said that only hard work is in your hands, nothing else. I never truly understood that phrase [until now]. Nothing teaches you better than experiencing it yourself. It’s something I proudly tell others now.”

The Women’s Premier League has played a significant role in drilling many of these ideas into her game. In her now former opening partner at Delhi Capitals, Meg Lanning, Shafali found the yin to her yang — a calming presence who taught her how to be lethal without trying too hard. The auction has split the pair, though, with Lanning now at UP Warriorz. 

“I will miss Meg a lot. Only I know how excited I was for the WPL because I would get to bat and learn from her. She was always keen to teach and motivate me, especially stressing the importance of singles in building an innings. Life is such that you watch people head somewhere else. But the Delhi Capitals unit for 2026 has some great foreign talent I’m excited to learn from.”

There is plenty of unfinished business for Shafali, with Delhi Capitals having stumbled at the final hurdle in every edition so far. While she is eager to set that record straight, the more mature Shafali is now operating with a larger goal.

“ Badla lena hai for the 2020 T20 World Cup final. That loss [to Australia] pinches me every single day. I cried very badly that day. When I went home, I saw the same thing running on television channels. It was already heavy on my heart, so I stopped watching TV. It really hurt for two or three days. That’s life, you need to start all over again. So I did. I didn’t understand it then; I was just a kid. But only I know how sad it is to feel like you’ve lost your passion for something you love this much.”

For Shafali, who once had to cut her hair short and look like a boy, to be able to even play the sport, the importance of winning a second World Cup in quick succession is crystal clear. “I went back to Rohtak two weeks after the World Cup win, after meeting the Prime Minister and attending other events. I got the chance to be part of TV shows I grew up watching, like  Kaun Banega Crorepati and  The Kapil Sharma Show. The whole city turned up for me. People I’d never met before came to welcome me. Men’s cricket has always had far more support here, so to see people come out made that day very special. 

“To get recognition from the place you come from is something else. My family insulated me from many detractors who didn’t understand why my parents let their daughter play cricket. There were boys I played with who used to say nothing would come of it. They would say, ‘ Kuch nahin rakha women’s cricket mein.’ I stopped playing with them after I was selected for my state and began playing international cricket very early. Now, a bunch of them come up to me and say, ‘See, remember I trained you before. See what you’re doing now.’ It’s quite funny.”

What she couldn’t do in 2020, she achieved in 2025. The captain of India’s maiden U19 Women’s T20 World Cup winning side took matters into her own hands for the senior team, outside circumstances notwithstanding, to make history. The true Gen Z kid she is, Shafali’s appetite remains far from satiated. If 2025 is anything to go by, it’s going to be quite a ride!

QUICK BYTES

If you could mute someone on the WhatsApp groups and chats you are a part of, who would it be?

Renuka (Singh). Most times, when she sees or reads something, she will promptly send it to me and discuss it. I do need moments of peace sometimes, so it will be her! ( Laughs)

What is your go-to excuse to miss training?

Honestly, to this day, I’ve never felt like missing training. This is the stuff that’s close to our hearts, so why would we want to miss it?

If you can swap a skill with any of your teammates, what would it be, and what’s the skill?

That would be with Pooja Vastrakar and her fitness. If I could get a little of that, I’d be in a really good space. As for core skills, I am very happy with the ones I have. God has given me a lot, touchwood! Fitness is what I want from Pooja.

One bowler who gives you nightmares?

Brunt [Katherine Sciver-Brunt]… I had a lot of fun with her because her variations were incredible. No two balls in the over would be the same. Her natural aggression is so interesting to take on as an opponent, so I enjoyed batting against her. She used to say a lot of stuff to me, but I didn’t know how to give it back. I often think, I wish she was still playing — I could respond better then.

One interview question you are tired of answering?

Not a question, but advice (some people give). ‘Learn how to play along the ground.’  Tum thodi sikhaoge, yaar! (You’ll teach me, now? Laughs)

What is the most expensive thing you own?

A Volvo XC90. I got it two years ago. I recently bought a two-seater MG.

If you can add one rule in cricket, what would it be?

A batter should be able to bat twice.

If someone makes a movie about your life, who should play you?

Aamir Khan can play my father’s role well. I’d like the actor who played Geeta in  Dangal (Fatima Sana Shaikh) to play me.

Published on Jan 03, 2026