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Shafali Verma, who wasn’t even within the authentic squad for the ICC Girls’s ODI World Cup 2025, was referred to as up as an damage substitute for opener Pratika Rawal forward of India’s semi-final conflict towards Australia in Navi Mumbai. The star opener revealed that her return was a part of God’s plan and is able to give her all within the knockout encounter.
Rawal’s damage got here as an enormous blow to India’s semi-final plans. The reliable opener twisted her ankle whereas fielding within the ultimate group-stage match towards Bangladesh, ruling her out of the event. Rawal had been one in every of India’s most constant performers, averaging over 50 and scoring a match-winning century towards New Zealand. Nonetheless, the setback opened a window for Shafali, who was main Haryana within the Nationwide Girls’s T20 Championship when she acquired the emergency name for worldwide responsibility.
Dropped from India’s ODI squad final 12 months because of poor kind, the younger opener has labored onerous on her sport. Her home numbers grabbed vital consideration as she scored 527 runs at a median of 75 within the Senior Girls’s One Day Trophy, adopted by a dominant WPL 2025 season the place she scored over 300 runs for Delhi Capitals. She additionally impressed in India A’s excursions of Australia and New Zealand, scoring essential half-centuries. In the pre-match press convention, she admitted the transition from T20s to 50-over cricket hasn’t been straightforward however mentioned she feels well-prepared.
“What occurred with Pratika, as a sportsperson, wasn’t a very good factor. Nobody desires any sportsperson to maintain such an damage. However God has despatched me right here to do one thing good,” Shafali mentioned.
Her familiarity with Mandhana as a gap accomplice will assist India. The pair final opened collectively in 2024, with Mandhana averaging over 50 when batting alongside Shafali. Regardless of averaging 23 in 29 ODI matches, the opener is ready to deliver immense expertise to this sport. She additionally revealed that she understands Australia’s aggressive strategy nicely and is assured to sort out it nicely.
“I used to be enjoying T20s however as a batter, it is not that straightforward to change. However we had a follow session in the present day in addition to yesterday (Tuesday). I attempted to remain calm whereas batting. I attempted to play good balls alongside the bottom and and those who had been in my vary, I attempted to hit them nicely. I’ve had lengthy batting periods within the final two days, in the present day and tomorrow and I felt nice understanding I did all that I used to be making an attempt to do,”she added.
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