A year later, she was back in the national side, helping India win their maiden Women\u2019s ODI World Cup and then topping the run charts at the 2026 Asian Games women\u2019s cricket competition, in which India successfully defended their gold medal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The shift for Shafali was not just about runs or trophies. It was about accepting the setback, working on herself, and getting back the belief to come back stronger.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhen I was dropped from the team, it was the saddest moment that cricket has given me in my entire life. But I think that moment was very hard for me. I only know how hard I worked when I was out of the team,\u201d Shafali told IANS in a media roundtable facilitated by JSW Sports.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd first of all, the best thing I did was that I accepted everything. Yes, I\u2019m not in the team, but I have to work hard. And I have to utilise this time very well.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd I have to show that I\u2019m the best. I\u2019m the best for my country. I\u2019m the best for my team.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Her return to the national team came when Pratika Rawal\u2019s injury opened the door for Shafali to be drafted in as a replacement for the 2025 ODI World Cup. <\/p>\r\n\r\n
What followed would become one of the defining periods of her career, and a difficult one too. Shafali scored 87 and took two wickets in the final against South Africa as India clinched their maiden Women's ODI World Cup trophy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But the work that made that moment possible had started much earlier. \u201cSo, I worked very hard for that. I worked on my mental health, I worked on my skills, and I worked on my fitness. So I\u2019m glad that at that time, I decided everything and worked on myself,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I didn\u2019t let myself face any incidents or talk about it. And thanks to my family as well. They supported me a lot at that time.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd I think in the end, family is everything for us. And the way they backed me at that time, so just thanks to them. And then the happy tears came when we won the ODI World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For Shafali, those tears represented more than the joy of winning a World Cup.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd now, I think, whatever trophies and medals we win, so in front of my eyes, all my hard work and all my sweat comes in front of me that, yeah, I\u2019m doing great things for my team. I\u2019m doing the hard work for my team. And showing all the sweat and giving everything to my country,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I think there is no moment of more praise than that as a player.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The welcome she received on returning to the Indian dressing room was another important part of the comeback.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think the support of my teammates, the support of the coach, I think it\u2019s the best feeling, and I think when I participated in an ODI in 2025, I was very happy and motivated, and I think everyone was very excited to see me in the team,\u201d Shafali said. \u201cThe way they welcomed me at that time, I think that\u2019s the happiest thing as a player.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhat you want from everyone, they did that only. Thanks to them. The way they are managing the team, the way they are managing everything.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI think everything is happening because of them. Thanks to them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shafali also spoke about the environment within the team and the importance of ensuring players feel comfortable enough to express themselves.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWe try to keep them in a good space and push them up so that they perform well and don\u2019t feel scared or hesitate to say anything,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause of that, everything is reflecting, and everything is going our way.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The Asian Games was another opportunity for Shafali to show how far she had come, just as the World Cup had been the highlight of her comeback.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
She was the top scorer of the tournament, finishing with 188 runs at an average of 188 and a strike rate in excess of 200; her performances consisted of a 40-run score against Japan in the quarterfinal, a century made off 49 balls against Bangladesh in the semifinal - this being the first century in the history of women's cricket at the Asian Games and also her first T20I hundred - and 48 runs in the final match played against Sri Lanka.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
India beat Japan by eight wickets, Bangladesh by 114 runs and Sri Lanka by 147 runs to retain the gold medal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Yet Shafali sees the Asian Games success as part of something bigger than her own performances.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWell, of course, I think as a player and as a team, we\u2019ll just try to bring more and more trophies to grow Indian women\u2019s cricket,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I know when we won the ODI trophy, we lifted it. After that, I\u2019m pretty sure that Indian women\u2019s cricket has grown a lot. And there were a lot of setbacks. And I think we\u2019ll try not to have those setbacks and make our nation proud.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Her experience in Japan also left an impression beyond the cricket field. \u201cAnd talking about the Asian Games, when we went to Japan, we didn\u2019t even think how good the facilities would be. But the way Japan associated us, the way they gave us the ground stuff, so it\u2019s really praise for them.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd just seeing the seriousness in Indian women\u2019s cricket, so that\u2019s a very happy thing for us. And it\u2019s more of a motivating thing to do the good things for our nation, to do the good things for our team. So I think it\u2019s just a praise moment and a very motivating thing.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
That seriousness is reflected in a career that had already produced several landmarks before her latest run of success.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAnd just seeing the seriousness in Indian women\u2019s cricket, so that\u2019s a very happy thing for us. And it\u2019s more of a motivating thing to do the good things for our nation, to do the good things for our team. So I think it\u2019s just a praise moment and a very motivating thing.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Now, having gone through the letdown of being left out, the pleasure of winning the World Cup and the excitement of securing a gold medal at the Asian Games, Shafali is looking past his individual achievements.<\/p>\r\n\r\n