Picked for the five-match T20I series against England, Shafali will don the Indian jersey on Saturday for the first time after eight months.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI worked on my fitness for 20-25 days. I picked up the bat after 20-25 days and I felt very good. That gave me a different kind of energy, a different feeling. Time teaches you a lot of things. I will do my best and leave the rest to destiny,\" Shafali told BCCI in an interview.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhenever you make a comeback you encounter tough situations, but when you are back in the team environment, it is a very good feeling. I am very happy that I could make a comeback,\" she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Recalling her comeback trail, the 21-year-old revealed her father suffered a heart attack just 10 days before her omission from the side last year.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cJust 10 days before my selection (for the series against Australia), my dad suffered a heart attack. That was a very tough situation for me and after that I did not get selected in the team. I did not know what was happening.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
However, her father\u2019s condition improved and he helped Shafali to hone her skills.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAfter my dad recovered, he made me work a lot on my fitness before the domestic season. It was an up-down period for me, and I think it\u2019s important to face such situations as only then you can become a strong person.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIf a player has savoured good days, he or she should also be ready for bad days. One should be ready to digest both, and only then you can become a star,\" she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The right-handed batter added watching legendary Sachin Tendulkar's Test knocks helped her to rejig her batting style and pay respect to good balls.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cEarlier I used to think of scoring a four or a six off every ball, but then I realised that it\u2019s important to give respect to a good ball. I saw Sachin (Tendulkar) sir\u2019s Test innings and got a lot of motivation from that,\u201d Shafali said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt reminded me of my childhood days when I used to not even miss a single game of his. I covered almost every match again. Watching that, I learned that the only way to build a good innings is by respecting the good deliveries,\" she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
During her time away from the national team, Shafali was determined to make the most of every opportunity to score runs in domestic cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI though wherever I get an opportunity, I will only think about scoring runs. I am not going to think about the future. And then WPL came. I said to myself that I will remain only in the present and forget about the future. Being in the present was the biggest motivation for me.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
During her time away from the national team, Shafali was determined to make the most of every opportunity to score runs in domestic cricket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
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