'The Innings After The World Cup Final Starts From Zero'

Shafali Verma, Player of the Final in India's World Cup win, on the sleepless nights before the game, evolving beyond hitting sixes, and batting lessons from Smriti Mandhana

- By KATHAKALI CHANDA

The fickle Mumbai weather has done to Shafali Verma what bowlers across the world haven't—laid her low. When Forbes India catches up with the 21-year-old at the tail end of a visit chock-full of engagements, exhaustion and the winter chill have taken their toll. But she insists it's nothing compared to the grind of the World Cup, which India won, and where she was named Player of the Final for her all-round masterclass. “That was tougher. That win was important for us,” she says.

Reams have been written about how India's maiden World Cup win will reinvigorate women's cricket, much like the 1983 victory did for the men. But, for Verma, its significance is far more personal. Not only was she left out of the original 15-member squad, but her last appearance in the ODIs was exactly a year ago—after which she was dropped due to a prolonged slump in form. Even her return to the team was lacklustre: Drafted in as a last-minute replacement for injured batter Pratika Rawal ahead of the semifinal, she scored just 10 in her first outing against Australia. Yet few redemption arcs in recent times have been as dramatic as Verma's. Opening the batting in the final against South Africa, she scored 87 to propel India to a formidable total, and then stepped up as a strike bowler, picking up two crucial wickets.

Verma's life has been a whirlwind since then, packed with felicitations, appearances, commercial engagements and media interviews. Her brand value, too, is expected to soar—rising from ₹40 lakh per endorsement before the World Cup to ₹1 crore-plus now, says JSW Sports, which manages her. But Verma wears her fame and success lightly. “Agli innings toh zero se hi shuru hogi (the next innings will start from zero),” she says. In a freewheeling chat with