‘All The Hard Work I Had Put In Was Finally Paying Off’: Shafali Recalls Surprise ODI WC Call-up
Manchester: ICC Womens T20 World Cup 2026 - India vs Bangladesh - Image Source: IANS
Cricket World Cup: India all-rounder Shafali Verma revealed that her return to the national side during the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 came as a complete surprise, with the call-up arriving while she was representing Haryana in a domestic competition.
The right-handed batter said she was not even following the World Cup closely at the time, having shifted her attention towards improving her own game through domestic cricket.
Shafali was drafted into India's squad midway through the tournament, giving the team another batting option during the latter stages of the competition. The batter recalled receiving the unexpected news from the team manager and was initially struggling to believe that she had been selected.
The call-up, she said, was particularly rewarding because it came after a prolonged period of working on her game away from the national setup.
"I was representing Haryana in a state-level match when the national team manager suddenly called to inform me that I had been selected for the remaining matches of the World Cup. I couldn't believe it, as I had been away from social media and wasn't even following the tournament, having focused entirely on my own game.
"I felt all the hard work I had put in over the past year was finally paying off. The team welcomed me warmly, and the two or three net sessions helped me adapt to the conditions and find my rhythm. Being in good touch through domestic cricket also gave me confidence. The work I had put into myself was reflecting in my game, and that felt good,” Shafali told JioStar.
"I was representing Haryana in a state-level match when the national team manager suddenly called to inform me that I had been selected for the remaining matches of the World Cup. I couldn't believe it, as I had been away from social media and wasn't even following the tournament, having focused entirely on my own game.
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Article Source: IANS