New Delhi: The last time Shafali Verma ’s father, Sanjeev Verma, closed his jewellery shop for four days was in 2013, when Sachin Tendulkar was in Rohtak, playing his last first-class match at Chaudhary Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Lahli.
Sanjeev was then forced by his nine-year-old daughter to take her to the stadium to catch a glimpse of Tendulkar , whose poster she had bought from the Dussehra fair just a couple of weeks earlier.
He vividly recalls how he had to carry his daughter on his shoulders so she could see her idol.
“Jeena mushkil kar diya tha Sachin ko dekhne ke liye (She had made my life difficult just to see Sachin). She was very young and used to play cricket with a tennis ball. But after the final day, when Sachin scored 79 not out and Mumbai won the match, she told me, ‘Papa, ab bahut hua tennis ball, ab Sachin ki tarah leather se khelna hai’ (Enough with the tennis ball, now I want to play with the leather ball like Sachin),” Sanjeev told TimesofIndia.com after his daughter’s exploits in the ICC Women’s World Cup final in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
On Sunday, life came full circle for Shafali . She gifted India a World Cup in her idol’s backyard, with Tendulkar watching from the stands.
It seemed written in the stars that Shafali would play a big role in India’s first Women’s World Cup triumph with Tendulkar cheering her every run, just as she had cheered for him 12 years ago in Lahli.
“When people were chanting ‘Shafali, Shafali’ in our street, it took me back to 2013, when Shafali was shouting ‘Sachiiin, Sachiiin’ at Lahli,” said an emotional father.
Shafali, who was not even in the standbys and was with the Haryana State team in Surat for the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, got the call-up after in-form Pratika Rawal was ruled out due to injury during India’s last league match against Bangladesh.
“She is generally a very confident kid, but I sensed a bit of nerves in her eyes,” said Mahipal Singh , coach of the Haryana women’s side.
“I told her, ‘You’ve got this. The management knows your importance and that’s why they’ve called you. Just be yourself, a destructive opener. This is your chance to shine. You are the chosen one,’” Mahipal recalled.
After India reached the final, the nerves caught up with Shafali. Barring the inaugural U-19 World Cup final in 2023, she had never won a final. Her WPL franchise - Delhi Capitals - had lost three finals. The T20 World Cup final defeat to Australia at the MCG and the Commonwealth Games final loss in Birmingham still haunt her.
Shafali, who went into a shell after being left out of the World Cup squad, cried her heart out in front of her father. On the eve of the big final, she called her family.
“I know my daughter. Straightaway, I knew something was off. After she spoke to everyone, I took the mobile, sat in another room, and asked her what’s wrong. She said, ‘Papa, darr lag raha hai, final mein record acha nahi hai mera (I’m scared, I don’t have a good record in finals),” shared Sanjeev.
“I reminded her of the day she was dropped from the side. I told her she’s gone through worse. She’s 21 and has already seen enough ups and downs. I reminded her of her journey — when I had cut her hair like a boy so she could play cricket, when she first went to Ram Narain Academy. I told her that her god, Sachin, would be watching the match. She calmed down, and the way she played was just mind-blowing,” he said.
Ashwani Kumar, a former Haryana opener and ex-coach of the state team, has trained Shafali for the past four years.
“She came to us when she was nine, and I was mesmerized by her potential. She was no match for the girls in my academy, so I made her play with the U-19 boys. She used to take those bowlers to the cleaners. She’s a natural talent, just like Sachin was. For her, offence is the best defence,” Ashwani said.
Since bursting onto the scene as a teenage sensation, Shafali had struggled to meet expectations. Inconsistency crept in. Her fitness became an issue, and her inability to rotate the strike cost her a place in the ODI side. However, she remained part of India’s Test and T20I setups.
Krushmi Chheda Pawar, a sports scientist and performance nutritionist, who has worked with the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) for the past three years, opened up about Shafali’s fitness journey.
“Yes, she did shed a few kilos. She’s worked tirelessly on her fitness, but it took her some time to reach this level,” said Krushmi.
“A 16-year-old boy is different from a girl of the same age. Post-puberty, boys tend to lose body fat, but for girls, it’s the opposite. It becomes tougher for female athletes.
“She’s been focusing on her overall fitness — diet, nutrition, and strength training. Everything has come together now. She’s realised that nutrition isn’t just about losing weight, it’s also about recovery. With experience, she’s become more disciplined,” Krushmi added.
After ticking the fitness box, Shafali worked on her game, especially strike rotation and bowling. Both clicked on Sunday. She ran 37 singles and five twos to go with seven boundaries and two sixes during her 78-ball 87 in the final. Then, she picked up two crucial wickets — Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp — which derailed South Africa’s chase.
“She’s been bowling her full quota for Haryana regularly. She’s stopped playing cross-batted shots, following advice from her WPL captain Meg Lanning . She’s tweaked her technique a bit. Earlier, her head used to tilt slightly backward; now, she positions it slightly forward, which has improved her perception of the ball’s height and length,” said Mahipal.
“At Rohtak, we worked on her strike rotation, hit a boundary, then look for singles unless it’s in your arc. The results have started to show, and now we’ll work on her game against short-pitched bowling,” he added.
Shafali is still only 21. As a nine-year-old, she had dreamt of playing 20 years for her country after watching Sachin in Lahli. That dream is still alive, and with her idol’s presence at DY Patil Stadium, she found calm and inspiration.
“When I saw Sachin sir, I had an unbelievable feeling. I keep talking with him; he always gives me confidence. But I had goosebumps seeing him today,” she said at the post-match presentation.
After all these years, Shafali remains in awe of Sachin and the legend still inspires her. But there’s one small difference: now, amid “Sachin! Sachin!” chants, she also hears “Shafali! Shafali!”
Sanjeev was then forced by his nine-year-old daughter to take her to the stadium to catch a glimpse of Tendulkar , whose poster she had bought from the Dussehra fair just a couple of weeks earlier.
He vividly recalls how he had to carry his daughter on his shoulders so she could see her idol.
“Jeena mushkil kar diya tha Sachin ko dekhne ke liye (She had made my life difficult just to see Sachin). She was very young and used to play cricket with a tennis ball. But after the final day, when Sachin scored 79 not out and Mumbai won the match, she told me, ‘Papa, ab bahut hua tennis ball, ab Sachin ki tarah leather se khelna hai’ (Enough with the tennis ball, now I want to play with the leather ball like Sachin),” Sanjeev told TimesofIndia.com after his daughter’s exploits in the ICC Women’s World Cup final in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
On Sunday, life came full circle for Shafali . She gifted India a World Cup in her idol’s backyard, with Tendulkar watching from the stands.
It seemed written in the stars that Shafali would play a big role in India’s first Women’s World Cup triumph with Tendulkar cheering her every run, just as she had cheered for him 12 years ago in Lahli.
“When people were chanting ‘Shafali, Shafali’ in our street, it took me back to 2013, when Shafali was shouting ‘Sachiiin, Sachiiin’ at Lahli,” said an emotional father.
Shafali, who was not even in the standbys and was with the Haryana State team in Surat for the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, got the call-up after in-form Pratika Rawal was ruled out due to injury during India’s last league match against Bangladesh.
“She is generally a very confident kid, but I sensed a bit of nerves in her eyes,” said Mahipal Singh , coach of the Haryana women’s side.
“I told her, ‘You’ve got this. The management knows your importance and that’s why they’ve called you. Just be yourself, a destructive opener. This is your chance to shine. You are the chosen one,’” Mahipal recalled.
After India reached the final, the nerves caught up with Shafali. Barring the inaugural U-19 World Cup final in 2023, she had never won a final. Her WPL franchise - Delhi Capitals - had lost three finals. The T20 World Cup final defeat to Australia at the MCG and the Commonwealth Games final loss in Birmingham still haunt her.
Shafali, who went into a shell after being left out of the World Cup squad, cried her heart out in front of her father. On the eve of the big final, she called her family.
“I know my daughter. Straightaway, I knew something was off. After she spoke to everyone, I took the mobile, sat in another room, and asked her what’s wrong. She said, ‘Papa, darr lag raha hai, final mein record acha nahi hai mera (I’m scared, I don’t have a good record in finals),” shared Sanjeev.
“I reminded her of the day she was dropped from the side. I told her she’s gone through worse. She’s 21 and has already seen enough ups and downs. I reminded her of her journey — when I had cut her hair like a boy so she could play cricket, when she first went to Ram Narain Academy. I told her that her god, Sachin, would be watching the match. She calmed down, and the way she played was just mind-blowing,” he said.
Ashwani Kumar, a former Haryana opener and ex-coach of the state team, has trained Shafali for the past four years.
“She came to us when she was nine, and I was mesmerized by her potential. She was no match for the girls in my academy, so I made her play with the U-19 boys. She used to take those bowlers to the cleaners. She’s a natural talent, just like Sachin was. For her, offence is the best defence,” Ashwani said.
Since bursting onto the scene as a teenage sensation, Shafali had struggled to meet expectations. Inconsistency crept in. Her fitness became an issue, and her inability to rotate the strike cost her a place in the ODI side. However, she remained part of India’s Test and T20I setups.
Krushmi Chheda Pawar, a sports scientist and performance nutritionist, who has worked with the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA) for the past three years, opened up about Shafali’s fitness journey.
“Yes, she did shed a few kilos. She’s worked tirelessly on her fitness, but it took her some time to reach this level,” said Krushmi.
“A 16-year-old boy is different from a girl of the same age. Post-puberty, boys tend to lose body fat, but for girls, it’s the opposite. It becomes tougher for female athletes.
“She’s been focusing on her overall fitness — diet, nutrition, and strength training. Everything has come together now. She’s realised that nutrition isn’t just about losing weight, it’s also about recovery. With experience, she’s become more disciplined,” Krushmi added.
After ticking the fitness box, Shafali worked on her game, especially strike rotation and bowling. Both clicked on Sunday. She ran 37 singles and five twos to go with seven boundaries and two sixes during her 78-ball 87 in the final. Then, she picked up two crucial wickets — Sune Luus and Marizanne Kapp — which derailed South Africa’s chase.
“She’s been bowling her full quota for Haryana regularly. She’s stopped playing cross-batted shots, following advice from her WPL captain Meg Lanning . She’s tweaked her technique a bit. Earlier, her head used to tilt slightly backward; now, she positions it slightly forward, which has improved her perception of the ball’s height and length,” said Mahipal.
“At Rohtak, we worked on her strike rotation, hit a boundary, then look for singles unless it’s in your arc. The results have started to show, and now we’ll work on her game against short-pitched bowling,” he added.
Shafali is still only 21. As a nine-year-old, she had dreamt of playing 20 years for her country after watching Sachin in Lahli. That dream is still alive, and with her idol’s presence at DY Patil Stadium, she found calm and inspiration.
“When I saw Sachin sir, I had an unbelievable feeling. I keep talking with him; he always gives me confidence. But I had goosebumps seeing him today,” she said at the post-match presentation.
After all these years, Shafali remains in awe of Sachin and the legend still inspires her. But there’s one small difference: now, amid “Sachin! Sachin!” chants, she also hears “Shafali! Shafali!”
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