If I keep myself calm, I can do anything – Shafali Verma

At the end of the group stages, India suffered a hefty blow in the form of Pratika Rawal being ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. Shafali Verma was called in to replace her and in the semi-final, while India were up against Australia, she did get a couple of boundaries to kickstart her innings but missed out on capitalizing the start. However, in the final of the 2025 ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup, Verma descended in her most intimidating incarnation, dishing out an all-round performance that blew South Africa apart.

She scored a sensational 87 with the bat, keeping the scoring rate ticking at all times while claiming the big wickets of Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp with the ball to pull the plug on South Africa's scoring rate. She was fairly economical too, conceding just 5.14 RPO, an all-round performance that saw her walk away with the Player of the Match award.

Talking at the post-match presentation, Verma expressed her emotions on winning the World Cup while also claiming that her self-confidence was key to the sensational knock in the summit clash. She revealed how a clear mindset and support from her teammates kept her afloat. She also reserved a special mention for an Indian cricketing icon, Sachin Tendulkar, who was present in the stands for the grand finale.

Emoting herself on the win, Verma said, “Absolutely. I said in the starting that God has sent me to do something good. And today that has reflected. And I am very happy that we finally won the World Cup. I can't express it in words.”

Revealing how she got into the headspace to prepare for the knock-out games despite being called so late, Verma added, “It was difficult but I had confidence in myself. That I will believe in myself. And if I keep myself calm, I can do anything. So that belief and that calmness and my parents gave a lot of support. My parents, my friend, my brother. I think everyone gave a lot of support. Everyone used to tell me how to play. And how important this final is for me, for the whole team. So today I was only thinking about how to make runs. The team should win.”

She also talked about what her mindset was for the final, stating, “Yes, absolutely. My mind was clear today. And I went and worked on my plans. I am so happy that they got executed. And along with that, Smriti didi was talking to me a lot. Harman di was always a supporter. And I think everyone supported me a lot. All the teammates were very welcoming and supportive. The team just opened their hearts and told me to play my game. Not to leave my game. So, I think when you get so much clarity, then you feel very happy.”

She concluded with words about how Sachin Tendulkar’s presence in the stands uplifted her, saying, “No, it's a very memorable moment for me. But when I saw Sachin sir, I got a different boost. I keep talking to Sachin sir. He always gives me confidence. And I think they are legends. They are masters of cricket. But I got a lot of inspiration from them. I get a lot of inspiration when I talk to them. I got a lot of inspiration after seeing them.”