Shafali Verma was magnificent with the bat and ball in the Women’s World Cup final against South Africa. Called in as an injury replacement for Pratika Rawal, she couldn’t do much in the semi-final against Australia.

However, she turned the finale in her team’s favour on November 2. The right-handed batter scored 87 runs and took two wickets as the Women in Blue won the contest by 52 runs to lift the trophy for the first time. Chasing 299 runs, the Proteas managed 246 runs in Navi Mumbai.

Shafali was named the Player of the Match for her efforts, and she enjoyed her performance.

“As I said earlier, God has sent me to do something special. It is good that we won the World Cup. It was tough, but I had full confidence that if I remained calm, I could do anything,” she said.

“My coaches and ex-players supported me. Sachin Tendulkar’s presence inspired me to give my best. I was clear in my mind about what I was doing. I am happy that I was able to execute my plans. I was also supported by senior players, who told me to play with freedom,” she added.