The aim is to play long innings and become a better player every day – Shafali Verma
Shafali Verma had a dream finish to the calendar year of 2025, walking away with the Player of the Series award for her extensive contribution to the T20I series against Sri Lanka. Verma’s tally of 241 runs was instrumental in shaping up India’s triumph over the visitors.
Talking at the post-match presentation, Verma opened up on how her persistent diligence worked out wonders. She also underlined how one needs to believe in the process despite not-so-guaranteed returns. However, according to her, the form that she carried in 2025 was the reward that she was taking with her for relentless hard work.
Shedding light on her year-long brilliance, Verma said, “My work throughout the year has paid off. I'm so happy that whatever I worked on I have been able to execute. But the way I got out tonight and in the first game, I wouldn't want to repeat that. Want to contribute more to the team.”
Expressing faith in her hard work, Verma said, “The aim is to play long innings and become a better player every day. Sometimes everything you work on comes off, like 10 out of 10 which gives you a lot of confidence and sometimes it will be 5 out of 10. That pushes me to work harder and I will work harder to get better for the team.”
She concluded with a quick note about changing gears between formats, stating, “Both are different games. In ODI you have to play along the ground because it is a very long format, 50 overs. T20 is my favourite, I like it a lot. Day by day I am improving and I will become a better player for the team.”
