Shafali Verma made a disappointing return to the One-Day Internationals in India’s ODI semi-final against Australia on October 30 at the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai. In the pursuit of 339 runs, Shafali scored only 10 runs off five deliveries before being dismissed by Kim Garth in the second over.
Initially not included in India’s World Cup squad, Shafali was repeatedly left out until Uma Chetry replaced the injured Yastika Bhatia. Her chance finally came when Pratika Rawal got injured during India’s match against Bangladesh in the tournament. Despite performing well in the Senior Women’s T20 Trophy, where she scored a century against Himachal Pradesh, Shafali failed to meet expectations. India suffered an early setback in their attempt at the highest successful chase in Women’s ODI history.
Shafali started her innings with a single off Megan Schutt and later hit a boundary through fine leg. However, Kim Garth quickly retaliated by trapping Shafali lbw with a sharp delivery. Despite Shafali’s review, replays confirmed the ball hitting the stumps, resulting in India losing both an early wicket and a review opportunity.
Since her ODI debut in 2019 at the age of 15, Shafali has not been a consistent member of the team. Her performance against Australia has been underwhelming, with just 109 runs from six innings at an average of 18.16. It remains uncertain whether India will continue to include Shafali in their ODI squad post-World Cup.