New Delhi: Shafali Verma once again brought out her very best as she struck 55 off just 25 balls to help India seal the T20I series against Zimbabwe with a nine-wicket victory. The 21-year-old opener's dominant innings displayed the form and consistency she has enjoyed in T20I cricket in recent months. Speaking after the game, Shafali revealed how introspection and analysing Australian batters helped her work towards becoming a more consistent run-scorer after a difficult spell in her career.
In 2025, while spending time away from the national side, Shafali evaluated areas of her game that needed improvement and studied what Australian batters were doing to maintain steady production. It was a revealing admission from a player whose explosive approach has rarely been in question, but whose consistency had previously come under scrutiny. Although she possessed the ability to dismantle bowling attacks, a dip in form led selectors to favor Pratika Rawal and Smriti Mandhana at the top of the order ahead of the Women's ODI World Cup.
Rawal proved dependable during the group stage, scoring heavily before suffering an injury against Bangladesh. That misfortune opened the door for Shafali, who was named as a replacement ahead of the semi-finals despite not having played an ODI in a year. Though she managed only ten runs against Australia, she delivered a stellar performance in the final against South Africa, scoring 87 off 78 balls in a century opening stand with Mandhana and later taking two wickets to help India claim their first Women's ODI World Cup title.
Shafali carried that momentum into subsequent tournaments, including the Women's Asia Cup and the Asian Games in Japan, where she registered her maiden T20I century with an unbeaten 100 off 49 balls against Bangladesh. Her recent knock against Zimbabwe reinforced her value at the top of the order, successfully chasing down a target alongside Mandhana.
India captain Smriti Mandhana praised her opening partner's impact in crunch situations. Through dedicated introspection away from the field and a willingness to refine her approach, Shafali has successfully transformed an unexpected international lifeline into a sustained and reliable run of success for the national team.