Shafali Verma’s Remarkable Run in Domestic Cricket

Shafali Verma is rewriting the narrative for herself, and honestly, the numbers do most of the talking. After missing out on a spot in the Indian ODI squad against Ireland, she’s locked in like never before. In the Women's One-Day Challenger Trophy 2025, she’s been in unstoppable form. Across just four matches, she’s stacked up 388 runs at an eye-popping average of 97. Her strike rate? A blistering 146.96. She racked up consecutive scores of 91 and 95, and there were no easy runs in those innings. She took her time, found gaps, ran hard, and still peppered the boundaries. She’s proving that she can blend her natural attacking flair with the kind of patience selectors crave at the top level.

It didn’t start with the Challenger Trophy, either. Back in December 2024, she hammered 527 runs during the Senior Women's One-Day Trophy—another domestic event—with an average of 75.28 and a strike rate over 150, powering her home state, Haryana, into contention. This isn’t a case of a purple patch. It’s looking more like a long-term upgrade in her game, and analysts have picked up on her ability to shift gears and build an innings—something that hasn’t always been her trademark.

Building for the Big Stage: Eyes on a National Comeback

What’s changed for her? For one, she’s put real focus on constructing innings. Shafali herself said she is paying more attention to singles and thinking ahead. She’s not just looking to launch every delivery; instead, she’s managing her approach with the bigger picture in mind. ‘I focus on singles and how to construct longer innings for the team,’ she pointed out after one of her standout knocks. That minor tweak is making a world of difference—not just to her stats, but to the way she controls a match.

Of course, with the ODI World Cup set for 2025, her timing couldn’t be better. India’s selectors want consistency as much as six-hitting, especially up front. Shafali’s numbers and her approach are making her impossible to overlook—there’s a real buzz that her return to international cricket is just around the corner. When a player is leading the run charts in two back-to-back domestic tournaments, it sends a message. She’s not only staking her claim; she’s redefining what a modern opener can do in women’s cricket.

Fans, selectors, and even opposing bowlers have noticed—Shafali’s not just back in form, she’s playing smarter and harder than ever before. If she keeps this up, the biggest stage in women’s cricket could see a whole new Shafali this World Cup season.