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Shafali Verma In Contention For World Cup; Coach Brags About India’s Depth

Aakash Saini

Shafali Verma and India women coach [Source: @BCCIWomen, @Cric_Beyond_Ent/x]Shafali Verma and India women coach [Source: @BCCIWomen, @Cric_Beyond_Ent/x]

Explosive Indian opener Shafali Verma shot herself back to national reckoning through her prolific five-match T20I series against England. Making her return to the Indian team after nearly a year, Shafali minted 176 runs from five innings at an average of 35.20 and with a staggering strike rate of 158.55.

The Haryana-based right-hander unleashed a cracking 75 off just 41 balls in the final T20I of the series, belting 13 boundaries and a huge six in the process at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

India Coach Amol Muzumdar Says Pratika Rawal Still First Choice

India Women head coach Amol Muzumdar has confirmed that Shafali Verma is very much in contention of making it to the Indian squad for the 2025 ICC Women’s ODI World Cup later this year, even though the cricketer played her last ODI match back in October 2024.

Muzumdar cited Shafali’s recent run of form against England in the T20Is behind her uprising just before the global event. While speaking with the reporters, the former Mumbai cricketer also took this opportunity to brag about India’s batting depth, and added that Pratika Rawal will still remain the incumbent choice for the Indian team management.

Muzumdar told the reporters in the press conference:

“It just shows that we've got a lot of depth now in this India squad. Pratika Rawal, she was drafted in the month of December, so it's almost six months, but she has left a mark, a big mark in her initial stage in her international career.”


“So, I think there's a lot of depth in this Indian line-up, a good headache to have as a coaching staff. And Shafali has been a terrific player. There's no doubt about it that she will be in the mix. She will be amongst the core group of India. There's no doubt in my mind about it. But at the moment, Pratika, she has joined the squad probably four or five days prior to the ODI. The depth is stronger, it's getting stronger.”

Amol Muzumdar prioritising Pratika Rawal can be attributed to the fact that the 24-year-old has been averaging 63.80 in women’s ODIs for India ever since making her international debut back in December 2024, i.e., shortly after Shafali Verma was dropped from the national side.

Nonetheless, India’s World Cup 2025 campaign will commence with the opening match of the tournament against Sri Lanka on September 30 in Bengaluru.