Recalled at the last minute for India’s ICC Women’s World Cup semifinal against Australia, opener Shafali Verma admitted she never wished for teammate Pratika Rawal ’s injury but believes destiny brought her back into the side for a reason.
“What happened with Pratika, as a sportsperson, it 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 ahead of the semifinal at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.
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Shafali was leading Haryana in the National Women’s T20 when she was urgently called from Surat after Rawal suffered knee and ankle injuries during India’s last league match against Bangladesh. The 21-year-old, who was not part of the original squad or reserves, joined the team on Monday and trained under lights with the rest of the group.
She also batted extensively in the nets and worked on fielding drills alongside Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Sneh Rana, and Harleen Deol. The right-hander, who made her ODI debut in 2021, has played 29 matches so far, scoring 644 runs with four fifties.
“I was playing domestic (cricket) and I was in a very good touch. Talking about the semifinals, it’s not something new for me because I have played in semifinals before. It depends how I keep myself clear mentally and keep giving myself confidence,” she said.
Returning to the 50-over setup after focusing largely on T20s, Shafali admitted the adjustment hasn’t been easy. “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. I tried to stay calm while batting, play good balls along the ground, and those that were in my range, I tried to hit them well,” she added.
Shafali, who has played several matches against Australia, said familiarity with their bowling attack will help.
“I know how their bowlers bowl. I have to back my strengths because absolutely they will come hard at us and we have prepared well for it,” she said.
As India chase a spot in the final, Shafali summed up the team’s mindset simply: “We are in the semis now and everyone knows that we have to give 200 per cent. There is no other chance because it is a knockout game.”
“What happened with Pratika, as a sportsperson, it 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 ahead of the semifinal at the DY Patil Stadium on Thursday.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
Shafali was leading Haryana in the National Women’s T20 when she was urgently called from Surat after Rawal suffered knee and ankle injuries during India’s last league match against Bangladesh. The 21-year-old, who was not part of the original squad or reserves, joined the team on Monday and trained under lights with the rest of the group.
She also batted extensively in the nets and worked on fielding drills alongside Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, Sneh Rana, and Harleen Deol. The right-hander, who made her ODI debut in 2021, has played 29 matches so far, scoring 644 runs with four fifties.
“I was playing domestic (cricket) and I was in a very good touch. Talking about the semifinals, it’s not something new for me because I have played in semifinals before. It depends how I keep myself clear mentally and keep giving myself confidence,” she said.
Returning to the 50-over setup after focusing largely on T20s, Shafali admitted the adjustment hasn’t been easy. “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. I tried to stay calm while batting, play good balls along the ground, and those that were in my range, I tried to hit them well,” she added.
Shafali, who has played several matches against Australia, said familiarity with their bowling attack will help.
“I know how their bowlers bowl. I have to back my strengths because absolutely they will come hard at us and we have prepared well for it,” she said.
As India chase a spot in the final, Shafali summed up the team’s mindset simply: “We are in the semis now and everyone knows that we have to give 200 per cent. There is no other chance because it is a knockout game.”
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