Shafali seizes her moment with allround performance

Shafali Verma would always remain in the scheme of things. Shafali Verma wasn't picked for the World Cup. The former was a statement from Chief selector Neetu David. The latter, a fact.

- Rasesh Mandani

Shafali Verma picked up two crucial wickets with her part-time spin after scoring a 78-ball 87 with the bat.

(RAJU SHINDE/HT)

Ask a celebrated prodigy, axed from a home World Cup, to seek meaning in one of the two. Verma did not make any public comments after being dropped, but you couldn't fault her if she might have struggled to see the glass half full.

It was good Verma wasn’t stuck lounging on her sofa, watching her teammates experience a groundswell of support around the country. To her good fortune, the domestic senior T20 competition was in progress, where the Haryana powerhouse made the opposing bowlers bear the brunt. Those 341 runs, averaging 56 at a SR of 182 came in handy when Verma found herself centre stage on Sunday, playing the biggest final of not just her life, but each of her teammates as well.

One would have to be some player to keep Shafali Verma out of the playing squad. With her 308 tournament runs, Pratika Rawal showed she was that player. She had spunk too. Rawal over Verma wasn't just one over the other, it was the Indian selectors picking a certain batting philosophy over the other.